I Want To Be A Rock Star
by Hydros
Summary: Sequel to Fused. With Raven's dark past a thing of the, well, past, Raven's free to express herself. When she finally reveals that she's in a metal band at a battle of the bands concert, how will the Titans react?
1. Raven's Secret

"Bleah. Damn Azarathian body clock," Beast Boy muttered. It had been a month since Trigon had been destroyed and Beast Boy's bloodline had been infused with that of Azarath's. Ever since then, he had been waking up at 6 AM, just like Raven did. Although he was getting used to it, and it did give him alone time with his girlfriend, he still wished he could sleep in some mornings.

Groggily, the boy got up and got dressed. Another thing he had changed was his attire. His bloodline didn't force him to do so, but he figured that he should do it justice and not wear spandex all the time, especially since the Doom Patrol had long since been left behind in his past. He now owned a wide variety of clothes: a couple robes similar to Raven's, some short-sleeved T-Shirts, dark jeans, and a couple pairs of kickass black studded shoes. He had gone shopping with Raven, since she of course had a better knowledge of Azarathian fashion.

Looking in his closet, he decided to don a black shirt that said "Yeah, I'm green. Your point?" Raven had made it for him in celebration of their first month together. He pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans to match and walked up to the roof, sidling up to a meditating Raven. On the opposite corner of the roof, he spotted Robin as well. Not wanting to disturb his self-described "dark angel," he decided to chat with the Boy Wonder.

"Hey Rob," He caught his attention with a wave. Robin looked over and laughed. It was still odd to see his green friend up at such an early time in the morning.

"Hey. Sleep well?" Robin greeted him.

"Beh. I got woke up three times. Starfire talks in her sleep, and loudly. Finally just slept through it, but damn. Heard from Slade lately?" Beast Boy added. While Slade was now considered a Titan, he had opted to be more of an honorary member, rather than actually making his home at the Tower.

Robin shook his head. "Nah. Don't expect to for a bit either. He said he was going to go see if he couldn't find some answers about personal matters. Didn't want to dig further. I'm just glad he's on our side now. He was a bitch to fight, but he's a hell of a sparring partner. Taught me a couple moves that'd make Batman jealous," He added with a smirk. Beast Boy just shook his head and laughed.

"Hey," Raven said, joining the two boys after finishing her meditation. They both jumped.

"Oh, mornin' Rae," Beast Boy smiled and gave her a good morning peck on the cheek. The girl smiled, feeling the same pure joy that she always felt when she was able to freely express emotion.

"Hey, so uhm...There's a concert going on tonight, about 8 pm. It's in that new club, some sort of battle of the bands type thing. It'd probably be fun," Raven suggested. Beast Boy gave her an odd look. She sounded almost...nervous?

"Sweet! Sounds like a plan to me. Concerts rule," Beast Boy enthused. _Awesome! We can go and dance and listen to some sweet music and drink pop until it comes out our noses! _He thought. Azarathian, yes. Entirely mature, no. He was mature only when he wanted to be. Which was mainly when he was around alone with Raven.

"Sounds good," Robin agreed. The trio headed down to the kitchen, meeting up with Starfire and Cyborg. Cyborg was cooking, much to Beast Boy's chagrin. However, ever since he had paired up with Raven the Azarathian girl had began to make him tofu whenever Cyborg cooked. It was a sweet, loving gesture and it halted the meat vs. tofu war. Win/win. "Thanks Rae," Beast Boy said as she set a plate of tofu eggs and bacon in front of him and gave him a light flick on the ear, her equivalent of a your-welcome kiss. Cyborg rolled his eyes and stuck his finger down his throat, earning him glowing white eyes from Raven.

Calming back down, Raven got another nervous look on her face. "So...I already told Garfield and Robin, but there's this battle of the bands thing going on at the new club. Starts about 8 pm, thought it'd be cool to go to," She suggested to Starfire and Cyborg.

"While the idea of going to the club is most enticing, why would one go to watch others duel with elastic?" Starfire inquired, confused. Robin laughed.

"No, not rubber bands, Star. Musical bands. Remember that CD I showed you? Linkin Park? Linkin Park is a band. A band is a group of guys that play music," He explained. Starfire nodded her head in understanding.

"Yeah, sounds like fun. Might even be able to go behind the scenes with the bands afterwards, being Titans and all," Cyborg suggested. Raven gave a laugh, thinking _Oh, how right you are._

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The day was pretty average, although Raven was missing for most of it. She had holed herself up in her room, something she hadn't done since Trigon was taken care of. This worried Beast Boy, but he didn't want to disturb her so he just shrugged it off. This left getting his ass kicked in Speed Racer against Cyborg and Terra as his only alternative. Apparently, even Terra was better at video games than the changeling was.

"Oh, that is just bullshit," Beast Boy complained as Terra and Cyborg sandwiched his car between theirs, destroying his. Then Terra ran Cyborg off the road and hit the finish line.

"Oh yeah, who's your daddy, go Terra, it's your birthday," Terra got up on the couch and began to dance, much to the other two players' annoyance. Looking at each others, they both sighed and went to find other things to do. Cyborg went to mess around with his precious car, and Beast Boy went and screwed around on the Internet.

"Alright guys, everyone to the T-Car," Cyborg yelled. He had just finished washing and waxing it, so it shone like a lightbulb. Everyone piled in, amused at Cyborg's almost obsessive ways concerning the vehicle. The team had donned street clothes, since they would draw a lot more attention in uniform. Robin had on sunglasses, a plain white long-sleeved shirt, and blue jeans. Starfire had opted for a sleeveless, blue shirt and a pair of black shorts. Cyborg had a hologram ring on that made him look the way he did when he infiltrated the Hive, and Raven had gone for a black shirt with a red pentagram on it with black jeans and studded bracelets and belt.

Once they got to the club, everyone gathered up to plan out who was going to be where.

"Ok, me and Star are gonna head over and get something to eat at the food stand," Robin told them. Cyborg snorted, and Robin gave him a dirty look.

"Terra, Raven and I are gonna...Hey, where'd Raven go?" Beast Boy looked around, confused. Sure enough, the demoness was nowhere to be found. Beast Boy's face betrayed his worry for his girlfriend.

"BB, relax. She probably just found some people she knew and hooked up,. She'll be back in a few," Cyborg consoled him. He, Terra and Beast Boy headed off to the soda bar to grab some Pepsi. Oh, how right Beast Boy was.

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Stealthily, Raven broke off from the others and headed back behind the stage. "Hey Raven! Ready for tonight?" A guy in a blue shirt and black pants greeted her with a smile.

"About as ready as I'll ever be, Ben. Where's my group at?" She asked. She knew Ben from the old club he used to work at. He smiled and gestured.

"Right over there, first on the right. Good luck," He gave her a thumbs-up as she headed for the door. "Hey guys," She said as she walked through. Three other people looked up and said "Oh, hey Rae."

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Beast Boy had begun to relax. Now he was talking trash about how he would destroy them in Mega Monkeys 5 when they got home. Terra and Cyborg were arguing over what the best character in said game was, in a heated debate with wise rebuttals such as "You dumbass, Volken has range AND speed!" and "Alright blondie, get it through your head: Etheron is the best!" Ordering another refill on his soda, Beast Boy jumped into the conversation, arguing that his favorite character, Rabelton could kick both their asses. They had just rolled their eyes at each other and stopped arguing when the announcement came.

"Hello all! My name's Ben, and I'll be your announcer for tonight. Now, it's time to start this show! The Battle of The Bands of Jump City! And our first band of talented artists is..."

He paused, looking at his sheet.

"Nevermore!"

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Raven couldn't help but grin as she summoned her equipment from its storage in Azarath. She couldn't keep her stuff in her room, because it would get noticed. It wasn't until now, when she had full control over her emotions, that she reveal her favorite hobby and secret to her friends. Taking the custom guitar and its accompanying amp wire out of the case, she jacked in and made her way out to the stage.

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When the band came out, Beast Boy's mouth dropped to the floor. He turned wildly to Terra and Cyborg, who were frozen with their own mouths open in shock. "Um...Am I the only one that sees Raven standing with that band holding a guitar?" Beast Boy stammered.

"No...no you are not," Terra stammered back. They all watched as Raven slung the guitar in front of her and took the microphone from Ben.

"Alright guys, before we play I have a couple words to speak. See, my fellow Titans and my boyfriend Garfield didn't know I played guitar, much less had a band, till just now. So I'd just like to tell them to enjoy the show.

Second, this song's a new one. This is the first time we've ever played it live, so I hope you like it. I had...inspiration," She said, eyeing Beast Boy from the crowd. "It's called 'The Beast Within'" She finished. The drummer, Charlie, began a fast beat, while her bassist Liz started up an accompanying roll. Both guitarists, Lily and Raven, began an opening solo that fit the bass perfectly. Finally, after a scorching lead, Raven started to sing metal.

(verse 1)

Demons within try to tear me apart

While a man by my side tries to win my heart

Fated to bring the end of all creation

He fought me and brought me

to a realization

(verse 2)

I was the portal, the key to evil's will

But now with their help I don't have to kill

The final showdown, the ultimate battle

The one by my side bravely takes the saddle

(chorus)

He's my Beast Within, my protector forevermore

He's my champion, the one who ends the war

Evil's influence, the mighty have fallen

Once a demon until he came callin'

He's my Beast within, and I'm his angel of the night

Together we've stood and together we fight

What darkened my past he is no more

My Beast within made sure he was nevermore

With those lyrics out, Raven busted out a solo that Beast Boy couldn't even keep track of. Raven's fingers moved at speeds that put Kid Flash to shame, and her second electric guitarist was complimenting her with a lower-pitched lead of equal ferocity. The other Titans just gaped, unable to move. Finally, the solo ended and Raven took the mic again.

(verse 3)

Once in shadows, the bird was alone

Her destiny, not to be her own

Brought to the light by the strangest of ways

He destroyed evil's might and freed her

To freely live her days

(verse 4)

Now I'm part of him, and he's part of me

Bonded together yet completely free

The demon and the joker, consumed by love

Dark angel and saving beast, the dark bird now a dove

(chorus)

He's my Beast Within, my protector forevermore

He's my champion, the one who ends the war

Evil's influence, the mighty have fallen

Once a demon until he came callin'

He's my Beast within, and I'm his angel of the night

Together we've stood and together we fight

What darkened my past he is no more

My Beast within made sure he was nevermore

The chorus repeated once more, and finally the two electrics leapt into a string-burning solo to end the song, Raven literally playing her guitar behind her head. _Jesus_, was all Beast Boy could think as he watched, mesmerized. Finally, jumping in the air, Raven blasted a last note and the song ended.

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As she played the last note, Raven was grinning crazily through her heavy breathing. She couldn't help it; yes, she was nervous as to the crowd's reaction, but she found the looks on her friend's faces absolutely hilarious. _Good thing I told Ben to take pictures, _she thought. And the crowd went nuts. Nevermore got a standing ovation, with some of the loudest cheers coming from her friends.

Raven gave the "rock on" sign to her band mates and motioned for them to head off stage. They nodded, packing away their equipment and exiting to the back room. Once off the stage, they all busted out in laughter.

"Did you see your boyfriends' face, Rae? And by the way, nice playing. I think we hit everything perfect," Lily added, gasping for air.

Raven just nodded, unable to gain enough oxygen to speak. Finally, the four friends regained composure and went in for high fives. Then, they heard footsteps coming down the backstage hall and turned around.

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The Titans had regained the ability to think and move when Ben approached them. "Hey, Raven told me you guys were to be permitted backstage access. I'm pretty sure she wants you to meet the band, so go ahead!" He motioned to the backstage door. The Titans thanked him and went through said door.

They didn't have to look far for the group; they hadn't been able to make it back to their room before losing it. Robin tapped his foot as the Titans waited for everyone to regain normal breathing, which they finally succeeded in. Raven, Lily, Liz and Charlie turned to the Titans, struggling and failing to keep straight faces. Finally, Raven held it together long enough to speak. "Guess you learn something new everyday, huh?" She said.


	2. Guitar Hero

Beast Boy: More bloopers added to Fused!

Raven: Yeah...anyway... on with this thing! It stars me as a badass guitar player! (big grin)

Robin: You scare me:

As she played the last note, Raven was grinning crazily through her heavy breathing. She couldn't help it; yes, she was nervous as to the crowd's reaction, but she found the looks on her friend's faces absolutely hilarious. _Good thing I told Ben to take pictures, _she thought. And the crowd went nuts. Nevermore got a standing ovation, with some of the loudest cheers coming from her friends.

Raven gave the "rock on" sign to her band mates and motioned for them to head off stage. They nodded, packing away their equipment and exiting to the back room. Once off the stage, they all busted out in laughter.

"Did you see your boyfriends' face, Rae? And by the way, nice playing. I think we hit everything perfect," Lily added, gasping for air.

Raven just nodded, unable to gain enough oxygen to speak. Finally, the four friends regained composure and went in for high fives. Then, they heard footsteps coming down the backstage hall and turned around.

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The Titans had regained the ability to think and move when Ben approached them. "Hey, Raven told me you guys were to be permitted backstage access. I'm pretty sure she wants you to meet the band, so go ahead!" He motioned to the backstage door. The Titans thanked him and went through said door.

They didn't have to look far for the group; they hadn't been able to make it back to their room before losing it. Robin tapped his foot as the Titans waited for everyone to regain normal breathing, which they finally succeeded in. Raven, Lily, Liz and Charlie turned to the Titans, struggling and failing to keep straight faces. Finally, Raven held it together long enough to speak. "Guess you learn something new everyday, huh?" She said.

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Robin searched for words. Beast Boy didn't take as long.

"Something new? Jesus, Rae! Where the hell did you learn that? And...wait, where have you been practicing?" He realized that she spent most of her time in her room. Well, at least, until recently. So when would she have time to practice guitar? When he was in her room, he certainly didn't see guitar equipment...

"Heh. My room, silly. I keep my equipment in Azarath. And I _can _soundproof my room, y'know," She smirked. Beast Boy gave a rueful smile.

"And when have you had time to play with these guys?" He gestured to the rest of the band.

"Oh, please. Did you actually believe me when I said I was going to the poetry cafe? Usually I was either jamming or playing a gig," She explained with a grin. Beast Boy nodded, accepting that she had managed to lead a band right under his nose for the past, what, two years?

Robin was having similar thoughts. The entire time he had lived with her, he, Robin, Batman's apprentice had failed to notice his teammate leading an entire freakin' metal band! Finally, he spoke.

"So... who are you guys?" Robin asked the rest of the band.

"Yeah, introductions are in order, aren't they," Raven noticed sheepishly. "This is Charlie, my drummer," She pointed to the only male of the band. He had long hair, and was fairly tall. Trimmed and fit, he wore a red Led Zepplin shirt and baggy brown pants. His face was warm and friendly, a smile in his bright blue eyes.

"Good to meet you guys," Charlie said. Robin stuck his hand out, but instead he got cuffed on the shoulder by the drummer, whose arms were obviously pretty strong. Robin almost went to his knees.

"The same," He managed out weakly, rubbing his shoulder.

"That's Lilith, but we call her Lily. She's my second electric player" Raven explained, pointing to a fiery red-headed girl. Her hair was roughly shaped like Raven's except it ended in black spikes and fanned out a bit more. She was about Robin's height, and very slim, though that's not to say she wasn't toned. She looked like she'd be worthy competition for Robin. Her face was somewhat cockier, somewhat like Raven's, but the pools of dark green in her eyes were just as inviting as Charlie's. She smiled, hitting fists with the whole gang.

"Rockin' to FINALLY meet you," She said with a playful glare at Raven. Raven just gave her a mock scowl and pointed again.

"And this," She indicated the remaining girl, "is Elizabeth. She prefers Liz, though," She added quickly as Liz frowned at the use of her full name. Liz was decently tall, reaching Cyborg's eye level. Her rib-long hair was back in a ponytail, tied with a white ribbon. She wasn't Raven-pale, but she definitely wasn't tanned either, and the tone accented her soul-piercing green eyes perfectly.

"Yeah, Raven. Took ya long enough," She smiled and ruffled Robin's hair, much to his annoyance and the other's amusement.

"Well, you guys put on a hell of a show," Terra complimented, shaking her head in amazement.

"Thanks! Glad to hear we have some fans. And some cute ones at that," Liz said, winking at Robin. Then she noticed Starfire's glowing green eyes. "OH! Sorry, didn't know," She said with a laugh. Starfire smiled once again and her eyes returned to normal. The Tamaranian wandered over and began examining the various tools.

"She's really curious about Earth stuff," Robin explained in answer to Lily and Liz's confused looks. Starfire studied the amp for a moment, then looked at the guitar, as if judging. Shrugging, Lily and Liz turned back to the conversation.

"So, guys, you want to hit the food stand? On us," Robin invited as they walked out of the room and down the hall.. Raven opened her mouth to answer when a thunderous sound interrupted her.

It was coming from the band room, and it sounded like a guitar. A REALLY good-sounding guitar. Everyone looked at each other. Then Raven rolled her eyes.

"I probably left our practice tapes playing on accident. Come on, I'll turn 'em off," She gestured for them to follow. They opened the door and gaped in shock.

Starfire had plugged Lily's equipment in and began playing her guitar. And currently, she was shredding some serious notes. Everyone just stood in the doorway, listening to the guitar solo until the Tamaranian finally noticed them

"Oh, sorry. I just had to try it out. It looks very similar to an instrument I played on my home planet. I must have sounded terrible...I haven't played in a while," She explained, scratching the back of her head. The others just stared. Starfire began to blush.

"Friends, why are you staring?" She asked. Slowly, Lily opened her mouth.

"Keep playing," She said slowly. Starfire's eyes widened in joy.

"You enjoy my music! Glorious! I shall play one of Tamaran's more...rocking...songs, as Earth would call them!" And with that, Starfire picked the guitar back up and put every professional band known to man to shame. She played stuff that would make Led Zepplin and Metallica cry.

The others just stood, mesmerized. Finally, Starfire stopped. "I am sorry, but my fingers require rest," She apologized as she put the guitar down and turned off the amp. "However, your 'amplifier,' is most wonderful for enhancing the wonders of your guitar. On my home planet, we did not have such technology for the _strogburn_," She said.

"Robin,. you're a lucky man. Your girl's got fast fingers," Cyborg laughed.

"Huh?" Robin said, oblivious to Cyborg's dirty mind. Raven smacked the metal man.

"Robin, don't think about it. Just don't," Raven cautioned. Too late. Robin had figured out what Cyborg meant.

"CYBORG! I will kill you if you EVER say anything like that again about us!" Robin yelled at him, eyes flashing. Everyone laughed behind them.

Raven sighed. "Typical...I'm glad MY boy isn't typical," She put her arm around Beast Boy. Then she turned back to the band. "Robin's offer stands," She said.

"You mean getting something to eat? Sounds good to me. You know I always get hungry after a show," Lily said with a laugh. Raven just shook her head and walked out the door, letting the others trail behind her.

Reaching the food stand, everyone ordered their favorite stuff. Sitting down at the biggest table, they began to chat, jumping from subject to subject and story to story. Beast Boy was laughing and exchanging jokes with Lily, while Raven just rolled her eyes at the lame ones.

"Ok, how about this. Three blondes walk into a-" Beast Boy was cut off by a smack from Terra and Liz.

"Don't be dissing blondes! Freakin stereotypes, I swear..." Terra muttered. Raven laughed at the sight of Beast Boy getting double teamed by her friends. Beast Boy was about to speak again when an explosion rocked the club.

"What the hell?" Robin got up to take a look. Something had landed directly on the stage. Something big and, apparently, made of some kind of metal. Slowly, a door on the side opened, and about 100 black robe humanoid figures dispersed from it.

The Titans got into fighting stances. "Who are you?" Robin asked the creatures.

"Our identity is of no relevance, human. We are here to continue His legacy. Give us the demon wench and there will be no confrontation," One said, stepping forward. He was slightly larger than the others, and Robin assumed him to be the leader.

"If you mean, Raven, no way!" Beast Boy yelled. The leader dropped his hood to reveal his face. He had long, black hair and four red eyes.

"Trigon's followers. They're trying to carry out his mission for him," Robin said. Everyone nodded. Robin turned to the rest of the band. "You guys need to get out of here," He told them.

"No way, Robin. If she fights, we fight," Lily smiled, pulling her guitar out of its case. The Titans looked at her in confusion. She grinned.

"It's got a built-in amp. And trust me, it can do some damage if I turn it up enough," She said. And before any one could stop her she took off at the cloaked figure. Robin narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "Fine. Titans, GO!" He yelled.

Liz got out her bass guitar and used it as a weapon, bashing and smashing the warriors left and right. Charlie was going bare-knuckle, and it was serving him well. Then everyone heard "COVER YOUR EARS!" The Titans and the other bandmates clapped their hands up just in time.

Lily let loose with a solo that literally blasted their foes backwards due to the sonic properties of the sound. She jumped and let loose again, causing the demons to cry out in pain as the sound pierced their ears.

Starfire, oddly enough, wasn't affected by the noise. Instead, her starbeams were sweeping in full force, starbolts launching at machine gun speeds. It didn't take long before Lily's merciless guitar and Starfire's bolts, beams and physical strength utterly demolished the demons. Finally, the music stopped and the others uncovered their ears and the demons' bodies disappeared.

Everyone stared at Lily, who stood there and said "What? Something on my face?"


	3. Winners, Losers and hidden talent

Raven: Ah, yes. Music as a weapon. I love it.

Beast Boy: Agreed. Pantera Forever!

Robin: Pfft. Metallica beats Pantera by a long shot.

Beast Boy: (Eyes wide) Oh, no you didn't! (gets into a fistfight with Robin)

Raven: Boys...

"Ok, how about this. Three blondes walk into a-" Beast Boy was cut off by a smack from Terra and Liz.

"Don't be dissing blondes! Freakin stereotypes, I swear..." Terra muttered. Raven laughed at the sight of Beast Boy getting double teamed by her friends. Beast Boy was about to speak again when an explosion rocked the club.

"What the hell?" Robin got up to take a look. Something had landed directly on the stage. Something big and, apparently, made of some kind of metal. Slowly, a door on the side opened, and about 100 black robe humanoid figures dispersed from it.

The Titans got into fighting stances. "Who are you?" Robin asked the creatures.

"Our identity is of no relevance, human. We are here to continue His legacy. Give us the demon wench and there will be no confrontation," One said, stepping forward. He was slightly larger than the others, and Robin assumed him to be the leader.

"If you mean, Raven, no way!" Beast Boy yelled. The leader dropped his hood to reveal his face. He had long, black hair and four red eyes.

"Trigon's followers. They're trying to carry out his mission for him," Robin said. Everyone nodded. Robin turned to the rest of the band. "You guys need to get out of here," He told them.

"No way, Robin. If she fights, we fight," Lily smiled, pulling her guitar out of its case. The Titans looked at her in confusion. She grinned.

"It's got a built-in amp. And trust me, it can do some damage if I turn it up enough," She said. And before any one could stop her she took off at the cloaked figure. Robin narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "Fine. Titans, GO!" He yelled.

Liz got out her bass guitar and used it as a weapon, bashing and smashing the warriors left and right. Charlie was going bare-knuckle, and it was serving him well. Then everyone heard "COVER YOUR EARS!" The Titans and the other bandmates clapped their hands up just in time.

Lily let loose with a solo that literally blasted their foes backwards due to the sonic properties of the sound. She jumped and let loose again, causing the demons to cry out in pain as the sound pierced their ears.

Starfire, oddly enough, wasn't affected by the noise. Instead, her starbeams were sweeping in full force, starbolts launching at machine gun speeds. It didn't take long before Lily's merciless guitar and Starfire's bolts, beams and physical strength utterly demolished the demons. Finally, the music stopped and the others uncovered their ears and the demons' bodies disappeared.

Everyone stared at Lily, who stood there and said "What? Something on my face?"

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It took a few minutes before Robin spoke. "Erm...You just obliterated a group of demons with your guitar. Not exactly a technique you see regularly," He explained. Lily laughed and patted her "baby," as she called it

Slowly, the other people in the club sat back down as the Titans helped build the stage back up, the offending vehicle having gone with the demon bodies. Ben took the microphone back up and tapped it to make sure it was on, and addressed the crowd.

"Well, that was exciting," He said, causing everyone to laugh. "Anyway, the Battle of the Bands continues with our next band, Chained Redemption!" He walked off as the next band entered onto the stage. The band began playing, but the Titans weren't paying too much attention to the lyrics (partially because they couldn't make out half of them.)

The Titans were having fun, getting up and doing some mosh pit action as the bands played. The rest of Raven's friends just kinda sat and waited for the band to be over, not really feeling like getting up after having played on stage and fighting demons. Instead, they just refilled their sodas every now and then and watched, laughing amongst themselves at the way their new friends danced. Let's just say that the boys didn't know the meaning of the term "graceful."

As the team returned to their table with only one band remaining, they were pretty tired out as well and decided to sit out of the pit for the last song. After an intermission, Ben hopped back on stage with his trusty mic.

"Allrighty ladies and gents, we've had a hell of an evening so far, don't you think?" Ben's question was answered by an approving roar from the crowd. "Thought you might say that! And now, I give you our final band: The BlazeRiders!" He stepped off, making way for the band.

Lily rolled her eyes,. Charlie snorted Liz gave a short, barking laugh. And Raven just sort of groaned. The Titans looked around, confused.

"What's the matter?" Beast Boy asked his girlfriend. She looked up at the stage, shook her head and looked back to her green mate.

"The BlazeRiders are notoriously bad losers. They get on the stage, play whatever they want whether it sounds good or not, and if they don't win first place they get all pissy," She explained. Her other bandmates nodded in agreement.

"Oh," The changeling responded. And with that, the aforementioned band played. The entire group cringed. Compared to the other bands, this group _sucked_. Their lyrics made no sense, with lines like "feed us your soul, and go back to your bottle." And the music wasn't much better.

Once the song was over, everyone at the Titan's table burst into laughter. "Dear God. How the hell do they expect to win anything but last place with that crap?" Charlie wondered. Raven just shrugged.

A small while later, after voting for best bands was over, Ben came up to announce the winners. Since the ballots were anonymous, the Titans could all vote for Nevermore without accusations of bias. Ben pulled out a card and pulled up the microphone.

"Alright, the votes are in people! Your opinions have been heard, and as per your voice here are the winners! For third place, 50 and the 3rd-place trophy, it's Chained Redemption!" He paused, allowing the leader of said band to approach and take the award.

"In second place, for 100 and second-place trophy, the winner is Simply Complicated!" Ben announced, again waiting for the band to claim their prize.

"And finally, the first place trophy, 500 and a spot in the regional Battle of the Bands goes to...Where is it...Oh, there we go! Nevermore!" Ben shouted.

Raven's face drained of what color there was to drain. Her face practically split open sideways in a grin. Shaking, she stepped forward up to the stage and took the trophy and cash from Ben. She could barely keep a steady hold on her prizes as she made her way back to the table, still in shock.

The group was waiting for her, standing in front of the table and giving her a big smile. Once she placed the trophy and money on the table, she turned back to her friends.

"YES!" Raven pumped her first and jumped in the air. Beast Boy laughed. This was the first time he had ever seen Raven so jubilant over anything, and he was glad that he was there to see it.

He pulled her into a hug. "Good job, Rae. You deserve it," He told her. Hugs were exchanged the entire way around the group. Finally, Robin looked at his watch.

"Well, we should probably get going. Raven, we'll help you pack your stuff up," The Boy Wonder offered. Raven nodded, and they all went backstage to get all of their equipment back into its various boxes and bags.

Just as they were about to reach their assigned room, someone stepped in front of them. He was tall, big and muscular. And from the look on his face surrounded by short, black hair, he had an attitude problem.

"You know that thing was bullshit, Rae," The new face said, voice full of venom. Raven sighed.

"First, it's _Raven _to you. I know that second syllable is tiring for your small brain to produce, but you can do it. Second, you guys played like an elephant was stuck up your asses. So why don't you just get out my way, Jim?" Raven said, her voice casual with a smirk on his face.

Suddenly, quickly enough to catch Raven off balance, he took a swing. Bad move.

The punch may have been sudden enough to surprise an unsuspecting Raven, but Beast Boy's animal senses saw the muscles tensing even before "Jim" had pulled back. So when Jim's fist shot forward, it met with the hand of a _very _annoyed gorilla. The gorilla bellowed and yanked, sending the offending musician to the ground on his face.

"Swing on MY girl, will ya?" He asked, looking down at his handiwork. Jim just let out a small groan from his new position.

The rest of the group was laughing. "Jim, even you should have enough common sense to know that you don't try to punch a superhero. Especially when she's surrounded by other superheroes. And that goes double for when she's got a shape-shifting boyfriend," Raven smirked, walking carefully over Jim and into the band room. Everyone else followed, patting Beast Boy on the back and laughing at Jim.

With everything packed, the band members and the Titans said their goodbyes, and the Titans piled back into the T-Car.

"Wow. So, I guess we learned a lot today, eh? Raven's a metal star, Starfire can shred a guitar, and Beast Boy's capable of murder of anyone that really threatens Raven," Cyborg teased. Beast Boy just snorted.

"We also learned that Trigon still has followers, and that they're interested in Raven," Robin reminded them. Beast Boy nodded, eyes full of concern.

"What would they still want with her, though? I mean, Trigon's toast. He can't do anything to her, and that means they can't either. Trigon was the head honcho. If he couldn't hurt Raven, then these follower dudes wouldn't be able to even touch her," Beast Boy reasoned.

"Maybe they don't want to hurt me. Maybe they want something else. Maybe my magic? It _is _possible, you know. It'd be hard as hell, but it would technically be possible for them to drain my powers and use them for their own ends. Trigon did it before he tried to put the Mark of Scath back on me," Raven mused. _And if that's the case, I have to be damn careful. Anyone related to Trigon gets ahold of my powers...they could become the next Trigon_, Raven thought worriedly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the Tower, a small party was held in honor of Nevermore. Pizza, video games, and of course massive amounts of sugar combined into one hell of a night. It was about 1 am before Raven finally retired to her room, ready for bed.

Beast Boy followed her up to say goodnight, catching up to her in front of her door. "Hey Rae," He caught her attention. She turned and smiled. "So...Regionals in a week in New York? Sounds exciting," He said. She nodded.

"Yeah. It's going to be a cover event. It's where a band plays a pre-existing song from another band," She added in answer to the confusion on Beast Boy's face.

"Ohhh. Well, goodnight Rae. Sleep well," He gave her a kiss on the lips and walked off for his own bed. "You too," She called after him before entering her room and flopping herself on her bed. _We won...We made it to regionals..._ She thought excitedly. With that thought, she curled up under her sheets and lost herself in sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Beast Boy awoke to the sound of..."Drums?" He wondered sleepily. Still halfway asleep, he wandered down the hallway and down the stairs, following the sound. Finally, he found himself in front of the training room doors. "The hell?" He muttered. He could clearly hear someone on a drum kit inside.

Punching in the code, the door opened with a hiss. Entering, Beast Boy saw...


	4. Tragedy and Wedgies

Me: The Titans are out on lunch right now, so no witty banter this time. (sad face)

Back at the Tower, a small party was held in honor of Nevermore. Pizza, video games, and of course massive amounts of sugar combined into one hell of a night. It was about 1 am before Raven finally retired to her room, ready for bed.

Beast Boy followed her up to say goodnight, catching up to her in front of her door. "Hey Rae," He caught her attention. She turned and smiled. "So...Regionals in a week in New York? Sounds exciting," He said. She nodded.

"Yeah. It's going to be a cover event. It's where a band plays a pre-existing song from another band," She added in answer to the confusion on Beast Boy's face.

"Ohhh. Well, goodnight Rae. Sleep well," He gave her a kiss on the lips and walked off for his own bed. "You too," She called after him before entering her room and flopping herself on her bed. _We won...We made it to regionals..._ She thought excitedly. With that thought, she curled up under her sheets and lost herself in sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Beast Boy awoke to the sound of..."Drums?" He wondered sleepily. Still halfway asleep, he wandered down the hallway and down the stairs, following the sound. Finally, he found himself in front of the training room doors. "The hell?" He muttered. He could clearly hear someone on a drum kit inside.

Punching in the code, the door opened with a hiss. Entering, Beast Boy saw...

"Cy? What the hell are you doing?" He asked. Cyborg jumped and spun in his chair.

"Er...Hi," Cyborg said sheepishly. Behind him lay what must have been a years-old drum set. Beast Boy opened his mouth several times before finally finding words to put out of said open mouth.

"You play drums? Sheesh. Does everyone in this Tower except me play an instrument or something?" Beast Boy asked with a laugh.

"Well, I caught Robin messing around on the piano in my game room...That's why I grabbed these out of my closet. I guess Raven's bringing music to the Tower. Just thought I'd have some fun, warm up the ol' arms," Cyborg laughed. He sat back down and hit another couple of beats out on the set. To Beast Boy's surprise, he was actually pretty decent.

"Robin...on piano? Oh, now _that's _funny," Beast Boy said, shaking his head. Walking back out through the doors, he laughed again. _Robin plays piano, Cyborg drums, Starfire can play a mean electric and Raven leads a metal band. That's just...I can't believe I didn't know Cyborg played drums. Dunno why he didn't tell me before... _Beast Boy mused.

The week went by pretty quickly. No villains or thieves to stop. However, the Tower was full of music. Everyone had found out that Cyborg and Robin played drums and piano, so Raven and Starfire had taken to practicing with them. Robin was especially valuable for this, because the song Nevermore was covering was Queen's "We Will Rock You." Liz was to play the piano for the song, but Robin would work for practice. Beast Boy and Terra just sat and watched, as they didn't know diddly squat about any sort of musical instrument.

Finally, the day came. Everyone packed their things into the T-Car and headed to the pizza parlor. They were supposed to meet with the band for lunch before they headed off to New York. When they didn't show, Raven began to worry. Pulling out her phone, she dialed up Lily.

The phone rang three times before picking up. "Hello?" It wasn't Lily's voice. Raven didn't recognize it, but she knew it was a woman.

"Erm...Is Lily there? This is Raven, I'm calling her about tonight's venue," Raven explained.

"Oh...Lily told me you might call. Dear, this is her mother. She's..." Lily's mother's voice cracked slightly, causing Raven's heart to race.

"She's what?" Raven demanded. The others looked on, concerned.

"She's been put in the h-hospital, Raven. She was shot about two hours ago. She's stable; whoever did it caught her in the leg. The doctors say she'll be fine with rest, but..." Raven almost dropped the phone. Then her face contorted with rage.

"The BlazeRiders..." She hissed.

"I'm sorry?" Lily's mother asked.

"Nothing. I'm terribly sorry, ma'am. Tell Lily I said to get better soon. Thanks," Raven said, ending the call.

"What happened?" Beast Boy demanded. Raven's face was still radiating red-hot anger.

"Lily was shot in the leg a couple hours ago. She obviously isn't going to be able to-" Her phone rang. She accepted the call and raised the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She asked.

"Is this Raven Roth of Nevermore?" A woman's voice asked. Raven cocked her head to the side slightly, confused.

"Yes...May I ask who's calling?"

"My name is Jillian. I'm a nurse at Jump City hospital. I've got a request from one of my patients to call you. His name is Charlie. Anyone you recognize?"

Raven's eyes widened. "Yes. Why the hell is he in the hospital?! Wait, let me guess. Bullet wound? Where at? Leg? Arm?" She demanded.

"Why, yes. He was shot in the back of his leg, below the kneecap. How did you-?" Raven cut the nurse off.

"It's a long story. Tell Charlie I sent my love," She said shortly and cut the call.

"What the hell's going on?!" Beast Boy demanded.

"That was Lily's mother and the Jump City hospital. Lily and Charlie are both in the hospital for gunshot wounds to the leg. And I've got a pretty damned good idea as to who shot them," She hissed.

Robin nodded. "The BlazeRiders?" He asked. Raven just nodded her head, her lip quivering as tears threatened her eyes.

Raven shook her head. "Well, looks like we need to unpack. We're not going to New York after all. All I've got is myself and Liz," She lamented. Her phone rang again. She picked it up fearfully. "Hello?" She greeted.

"Raven?" Liz's voice sounded terrified. "Is it true what they're saying on the news? Lily and Charlie both shot?"

"Yeah. I just called Lily's mom and got a call from the hospital. We're not gonna be able to make regionals," She said sadly. Then, something unexpected happened. Beast Boy reached forward and yanked the phone from Raven. The empath opened her mouth to protest, by Beast Boy began to speak.

"Liz, this is Beast Boy. And Rae's wrong. You guys are going, and Nevermore's gonna win that damn thing for Lily and Charlie," Beast Boy announced. Raven looked at him like he was crazy.

"Uh, Beast Boy, that's real optimistic and noble and all, but, uh, we can't play with a bassist and one electric," Liz said. Beast Boy grinned.

"Well, it just so happens that I see an electric guitarist, a drummer AND a pianist standing right in front of me," Beast Boy said with a smirk. He looked pointedly at his friends. Starfire, Robin and Cyborg looked at him, wide-eyed.

"Wait, what?" Liz's confused voice came over the phone. Obviously, she thought Beast Boy had lost it.

"Just meet us at the parlor," Beast Boy said, hanging up. Then he turned to his friends, who were still gaping at him.

"What? You all play what we need. Cyborg, you know drums. Charlie's out, so you're gonna need to fill. Starfire, you can play electric like nobody's business, so you'll be second electric. And Robin, Liz will have to play bass so you'll need to cover piano," Beast Boy directed. Raven looked at him in utter shock. Then, slowly, the corners of her lips tugged upwards until she wore a full smile.

"What happened to me being band leader?" She asked. Robin looked at her with a "now you know how I feel" expression.

15 minutes later, Liz pulled up. "Okay, where's your miracle, Greeny Baby," She asked, using her pet name for him. Laughing, Beast Boy explained.

"Alright, the original plan was Charlie on drums, Lily on bass, you on piano and Raven on electric and singer, right? Well, I've got a new plan. Cyborg plays drums," He said. Liz looked at Cyborg, one eyebrow quirked.

"He can cover drums," Beast Boy said. "You saw last week how Starfire can play. She goes on second electric. If you can play bass, Robin can play piano," The changeling finished. Liz took a minute and spoke.

"So not only are you guys superheroes, you're musicians too?" She asked, amused. Cyborg and Robin smiled sheepishly.

"Well...I used to play for school band, back before my accident," Cyborg explained.

"My mother started me on piano, and when she died I just kind've kept learning," Robin said, looking at the ground.

Liz laughed and shook her head. "Well, then, what're we waiting for? Go home, grab your stuff and let's get this thing moving. We don't have all day," She teased. The Titans piled back into the car and sped for the Tower, Raven staying behind to discuss the other band members with Liz.

"So you really think Jim did it, huh?" Liz asked in a hushed voice.

"Almost positive. He was pissed because he didn't win last week, so he's trying to sabotage us and make us miss what we earned. I'm gonna call up and confirm the change in plans," Raven said. Liz nodded as Raven dialed up the directors of the regional event. After several minutes of explanation, Raven finally said "Okay, thanks for being so understanding. I'll see you tonight. Bye." She looked up at Liz. "Yeah, they're gonna let us do it," She confirmed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And so the Titans left with Liz for New York. Raven put all of their musical equipment in Azarath, as to avoid the T-Car doing a wheelie the entire way. "Yeah, wouldn't want scratches on your precious bumper," Raven said sarcastically, much to Cyborg's annoyance.

It was quite a trip. Beast Boy telling, shockingly, decent jokes (he got slapped four times because he told blonde jokes), Robin trying and failing to find a decent radio station, and just general other craziness.

"Ok, ok, here's a good one. What do you get when you cross Starfire with Emeril Lagassi?" Raven looked at her boyfriend strangely. Then she smiled. If his joke was going to go the way she thought it was going to...

"Er...an alien chef?" Liz ventured.

"Nope! And oxymoron!" Beast Boy said cheerfully. He clearly did not notice the pair of glowing green eyes next to him. Liz, however, did.

"Greeny Beanie, I don't think that was a good idea, seeing your current position," Liz said with suppressed laughter. Raven could barely keep a straight face, just waiting for Beast Boy's punishment.

"Huh? Oh...Star, it was a- what're you doing?!" Beast Boy cried as Starfire's hand snaked behind his back. Raven's eyes went wide. She knew what was coming, and felt sorry for her green friend.

"Beast Boy, I have learned much from you. And if I am correct, this is what you could call the 'wedgie,'" And with that, and everyone watching, Starfire reached down, grabbed the band of the poor changeling's underwear, and yanked with her Tamaranian strength.

Beast Boy let out a small squeak, the only noise he could make after such a vicious action. The other males in the car winced. "That has GOT to hurt," Robin said, looking sympathetically at Beast Boy.

It took Beast Boy about 20 minutes to regain full ability to speak. "Starfire!! I think my balls just entered my large intestine!" He cried. The alien regarded him with an eerily Raven-like cold look.

"Marvelous. Perhaps you will think twice before insulting my cooking skills again," Starfire patted his head. Beast Boy looked up at her, about to say something but wisely deciding against it.

"You have to admit, you had it coming," Liz told him, rolling her eyes. Beast Boy rolled his eyes back at her and looked over at Starfire again. The Tamaranian was laughing at something Robin had said, as if nothing had happened.

Finally, without further incident they arrived in front of the club where the regional Battle of the Bands was to be held. Raven looked at everyone. "Ready?" She asked.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Robin replied.


	5. We Will Rock You

Raven: Remind me to never take Starfire to McDonald's ever again.

Me: Why?

Raven: First of all, she consumed one of everything on the menu. Second, she caused a hell of a scene when she ordered and then tried to go make the food herself. And third, she confused the shit out of the girl at the counter. (imitating Starfire) "I would like to have one of the Macs of large size, and a 25 cent burger, and a nugget that is in ten pieces, and..."

Robin: You have to admit, it was pretty funny though.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright, the original plan was Charlie on drums, Lily on bass, you on piano and Raven on electric and singer, right? Well, I've got a new plan. Cyborg plays drums," Beast Boy said. Liz looked at Cyborg, one eyebrow quirked.

"He can cover drums," Beast Boy said. "You saw last week how Starfire can play. She goes on second electric. If you can play bass, Robin can play piano," The changeling finished. Liz took a minute and spoke.

"So not only are you guys superheroes, you're musicians too?" She asked, amused. Cyborg and Robin smiled sheepishly.

"Well...I used to play for school band, back before my accident," Cyborg explained.

"My mother started me on piano, and when she died I just kind've kept learning," Robin said, looking at the ground.

Liz laughed and shook her head. "Well, then, what're we waiting for? Go home, grab your stuff and let's get this thing moving. We don't have all day," She teased. The Titans piled back into the car and sped for the Tower, Raven staying behind to discuss the other band members with Liz.

"So you really think Jim did it, huh?" Liz asked in a hushed voice.

"Almost positive. He was pissed because he didn't win last week, so he's trying to sabotage us and make us miss what we earned. I'm gonna call up and confirm the change in plans," Raven said. Liz nodded as Raven dialed up the directors of the regional event. After several minutes of explanation, Raven finally said "Okay, thanks for being so understanding. I'll see you tonight. Bye." She looked up at Liz. "Yeah, they're gonna let us do it," She confirmed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And so the Titans left with Liz for New York. Raven put all of their musical equipment in Azarath, as to avoid the T-Car doing a wheelie the entire way. "Yeah, wouldn't want scratches on your precious bumper," Raven said sarcastically, much to Cyborg's annoyance.

It was quite a trip. Beast Boy telling, shockingly, decent jokes (he got slapped four times because he told blonde jokes), Robin trying and failing to find a decent radio station, and just general other craziness.

"Ok, ok, here's a good one. What do you get when you cross Starfire with Emeril Lagassi?" Raven looked at her boyfriend strangely. Then she smiled. If his joke was going to go the way she thought it was going to...

"Er...an alien chef?" Liz ventured.

"Nope! And oxymoron!" Beast Boy said cheerfully. He clearly did not notice the pair of glowing green eyes next to him. Liz, however, did.

"Greeny Beanie, I don't think that was a good idea, seeing your current position," Liz said with suppressed laughter. Raven could barely keep a straight face, just waiting for Beast Boy's punishment.

"Huh? Oh...Star, it was a- what're you doing?!" Beast Boy cried as Starfire's hand snaked behind his back. Raven's eyes went wide. She knew what was coming, and felt sorry for her green friend.

"Beast Boy, I have learned much from you. And if I am correct, this is what you could call the 'wedgie,'" And with that, and everyone watching, Starfire reached down, grabbed the band of the poor changeling's underwear, and yanked with her Tamaranian strength.

Beast Boy let out a small squeak, the only noise he could make after such a vicious action. The other males in the car winced. "That has GOT to hurt," Robin said, looking sympathetically at Beast Boy.

It took Beast Boy about 20 minutes to regain full ability to speak. "Starfire!! I think my balls just entered my large intestine!" He cried. The alien regarded him with an eerily Raven-like cold look.

"Marvelous. Perhaps you will think twice before insulting my cooking skills again," Starfire patted his head. Beast Boy looked up at her, about to say something but wisely deciding against it.

"You have to admit, you had it coming," Liz told him, rolling her eyes. Beast Boy rolled his eyes back at her and looked over at Starfire again. The Tamaranian was laughing at something Robin had said, as if nothing had happened.

Finally, without further incident they arrived in front of the club where the regional Battle of the Bands was to be held. Raven looked at everyone. "Ready?" She asked.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Robin replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay, let's review. Cyborg is going to drum. Liz will be playing her bass guitar. Starfire and Raven will play electric guitars. Robin will be on piano, while Terra and I sing backup," Beast Boy reviewed, pacing back and forth in the room assigned to Nevermore backstage.. Everyone nodded. It just so happened that Nevermore was up first, and that they were to play in twenty minutes.

"I believe I am having stage fright," Starfire squeaked out. Robin gave her a pat on the back.

"Star, the way you were playing Lily's guitar earlier proves that you have nothing to be nervous about. Besides, this is for Lily and Charlie. We can't let nervousness get in the way of winning this thing. We've beaten the Brain, Trigon twice, and a whole lot of other challenges. We're not gonna let some concert beat us," He said, smiling at her reassuringly. Starfire nodded, comforted by his words.

In the remaining minutes, the group practiced for a few final times, going over individual verses with care. Finally, they were summoned to the stage as the first band up.

"Welcome to our regional Battle of the Bands! We've gotten the best bands from all around the state, bringing you one hell of a show tonight ladies and gents! And now, give it up for our first band, Nevermore!" The announcer exclaimed, moving aside to allow the band onstage.

"Alright Raven, no problems, let's go. For Charlie. For Lily. Let's do this," Raven whispered to herself.

Cyborg started up the drumbeat to the song. However, the team had decided to add a little more guitar to the song. So while Cyborg began the rhythm of the song, Raven and Starfire played a small solo that fit the general tune of the song. Then, as the lyrics began, they played chords in unison.

(Liz singing)

Buddy you're a boy make a big noise

Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day

(Terra sings)

You got mud on yo' face

You big disgrace

(Beast Boy and Liz join in with Terra)

Kickin' your can all over the place

(Raven joins in)

We will we will rock you

We will we will rock you

(Liz)

Buddy you're a young man hard man

Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day

(Terra)

You got blood on yo' face

You big disgrace

(Liz and BB join in)

Wavin' your banner all over the place

(Raven joins)

We will we will rock you

We will we will rock you

(Liz)

Buddy you're an old man poor man

Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day

(Terra)

You got mud on your face

You big disgrace

(Liz and BB join in)

Somebody better put you back in your place

(Raven joins in)

We will we will rock you

We will we will rock you

After those two lines, the band busted into the solo of the song, while Beast Boy and Terra got ready to sing the next few verses. Doing a few jumps around the stage for flair, Raven finally slowed down and stopped playing, as did Starfire. A light came down directly on Robin as he began to play.

(Liz and Robin playing bass and piano respectively, Robin singing)

I've paid my dues -

Time after time -

I've done my sentence

But committed no crime -

And bad mistakes

I've made a few

I've had my share of sand kicked in my face -

But I've come through

(Raven and Starfire come in with their guitars, while everyone but Cyborg sings)

We are the champions - my friends

And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -

We are the champions -

We are the champions

No time for losers

'Cause we are the champions - of the world -

(Robin)

I've taken my bows

And my curtain calls -

You brought me fame and fortuen and everything that goes with it

I thank you all -

But it's been no bed of roses

No pleasure cruise -

I consider it a challenge before the whole human race -

And I ain't gonna lose -

(Everyone joins in)

We are the champions - my friends

And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -

We are the champions -

We are the champions

No time for losers

'Cause we are the champions - of the world -

The song ended. Well, correction. The song was _supposed _to end. But right as the others began to relax, Starfire picked the guitar back up and began an ad-libbed solo, a completely unexpected burst of scorching sound. Sticking mostly to higher notes with mid to low tones interspersed, she played for about a minute longer. Once she stopped, she took a small bow.

The band stood there, waiting for a reaction. What would they think of Starfire's random addition of rock to the end? And how did they do over all? Raven's eyes darted out into the audience, trying to gauge facial expressions.

Then it came. A roar of sound spread through the crowd, seemingly radiating from the back to the front. They were getting the biggest round of applause that Nevermore had ever received.

Raven almost literally collapsed, sighing heavily in relief. Robin's face was about the same color as the torso part of his normal costume (not the clothes he wore at the moment). Beast Boy and Terra grinned like idiots, exchanging a high five with each other and with Liz, who pumped her fist in the air. Cyborg was sitting in his seat, looking down at the holographic projection of his arms and saying "Heh. Still got it," to himself.

Raven and Starfire looked at each other, Raven's eyes radiating joy and pride. Then, of course, Starfire reached out and pulled Raven into a hug. Raven winced, ready for the lack of oxygen, but it didn't come. Starfire had her in a normal hug, and Raven heard her say "Glorious!" over her shoulder.

Nodding to the others, they picked up their equipment and made their way backstage. Once in their room, they were greeted by a man in a security officer's uniform.

"Someone's on the phone for you, Ms.Roth. I'll have them redirect the call to your cellphone, ok?" He said. Raven nodded. A couple minutes later, said cell phone rang. Raven picked it up in trepidation.

"Hello?" She asked warily. What she heard next put an absolutely radiant smile on her face.

"Rae, put us on speakerphone, I've got us on a multi-person call with Charlie," Lily said. Raven did as directed and set the phone down on a table.

"We watched the show on TV, and all I have to say is day-um," Lily explained. They all laughed, glad to hear her voice.

"Yeah, we couldn't have done better ourselves. And that little bit at the end...Great stuff," Charlie added. Starfire blushed.

"Yeah, well, that wasn't exactly planned. Guess Star had an urge to show off a bit," Robin said with a grin, causing Starfire to blush even more.

"Oh, and speaking of you, Traffic Lights. You should've told us you play piano with that kind of voice! Rae, maybe we could write a couple more songs that use a piano? We got a natural on our hands," Lily said with a laugh. Now it was Robin's turn to blush.

"Yeah...Lily, Charlie, I think I know who shot you guys," Raven cut in. "I can't prove anything, but I know we pissed Jim off pretty good last week at the local Battle. And you know how the BlazeRiders get when they don't have their way," She explained. Lily snorted.

"Yeah, that sounds like something those idiots would pull. Tryin' to keep us from playing. Too bad Nevermore's got connections," The red-headed guitarist replied with a smirk audible in her voice. "Yeah, the doctors are calling for about a week in the hospital for Charlie and I. Frankly, I want to get the hell out of this stuffy joint, but..." She trailed off in annoyance.

"Oh, come on Lily. It's not _that _bad. Boring sometimes, yeah, but there is a TV in here," Charlie said.

"So says the drummer snuggled up in his five thousand adoring fans every damn second of the day," Lily muttered. Raven laughed out loud at that one. Charlie had always had a large fan base of girls falling all over each other to get two seconds with the man.

"Seriously, I've had like maybe five fans come in here to check on me. That's ridiculous," Lily complained. Raven just laughed again.

"Well, I think we better get going. The next band is about to play, and I want to check out our competition," The Azarathian said. Everyone else agreed, so Raven killed the call.

"Well, shall we?" Raven asked.

"We shall," Starfire answered.


	6. Caught

Starfire: I am feeling a strange sensation in my stomachs.

Raven: That would be the result of drinking nineteen refills of Pepsi at McDonald's.

Robin: What?! I thought you said you weren't taking her back there?

Raven: I gave her a second chance. She was doing fine until I went to the restroom. I came back and she was...energized. Come to find out Tamaranians can really suck it down. I had to knock her out to stop her from bouncing around. Then she wakes up with a massive sugar hangover.

Robin: Uhm, how about we stick to the original plan of not taking Star to McDonald's from now on, alright?

"Someone's on the phone for you, Ms.Roth. I'll have them redirect the call to your cellphone, ok?" He said. Raven nodded. A couple minutes later, said cell phone rang. Raven picked it up in trepidation.

"Hello?" She asked warily. What she heard next put an absolutely radiant smile on her face.

"Rae, put us on speakerphone, I've got us on a multi-person call with Charlie," Lily said. Raven did as directed and set the phone down on a table.

"We watched the show on TV, and all I have to say is day-um," Lily explained. They all laughed, glad to hear her voice.

"Yeah, we couldn't have done better ourselves. And that little bit at the end...Great stuff," Charlie added. Starfire blushed.

"Yeah, well, that wasn't exactly planned. Guess Star had an urge to show off a bit," Robin said with a grin, causing Starfire to blush even more.

"Oh, and speaking of you, Traffic Lights. You should've told us you play piano with that kind of voice! Rae, maybe we could write a couple more songs that use a piano? We got a natural on our hands," Lily said with a laugh. Now it was Robin's turn to blush.

"Yeah...Lily, Charlie, I think I know who shot you guys," Raven cut in. "I can't prove anything, but I know we pissed Jim off pretty good last week at the local Battle. And you know how the BlazeRiders get when they don't have their way," She explained. Lily snorted.

"Yeah, that sounds like something those idiots would pull. Tryin' to keep us from playing. Too bad Nevermore's got connections," The red-headed guitarist replied with a smirk audible in her voice. "Yeah, the doctors are calling for about a week in the hospital for Charlie and I. Frankly, I want to get the hell out of this stuffy joint, but..." She trailed off in annoyance.

"Oh, come on Lily. It's not _that _bad. Boring sometimes, yeah, but there is a TV in here," Charlie said.

"So says the drummer snuggled up in his five thousand adoring fans every damn second of the day," Lily muttered. Raven laughed out loud at that one. Charlie had always had a large fan base of girls falling all over each other to get two seconds with the man.

"Seriously, I've had like maybe five fans come in here to check on me. That's ridiculous," Lily complained. Raven just laughed again.

"Well, I think we better get going. The next band is about to play, and I want to check out our competition," The Azarathian said. Everyone else agreed, so Raven killed the call.

"Well, shall we?" Raven asked.

"We shall," Starfire answered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The team exited backstage and went for refreshments before the second band played. "So...think we got a shot?" Terra asked. Liz nodded and smiled.

"I think we gave a hell of a show. Don't be surprised if we take this thing," She said confidently. Flashing a grin to Raven, she reclined back in her seat and stretched.

As the second band, called "Two Drink Minimum," began setting up, Beast Boy nudged Raven in ribs and said "Well, look who decided to liven the mood." He pointed and Raven followed his gaze.

There, talking to the bartender and ordering drinks, were the BlazeRiders. Jim looked extremely mad, but was doing a decent job of concealing it. Raven's eyes glowed with a white fire as she emitted a primal-sounding growl. The others heard the growl and spun to look.

"Wow. Jim's got some brass balls showing his face tonight," Liz whispered, lips curled into a snarl.

"I can take 'em, if you want," Terra suggested, flexing a yellow, glowing fist. Raven and Liz shook their heads simultaneously.

"We can't prove for sure it was them. All we have is probable cause. We can't just attack them and make a big scene on a guess," Raven whispered venomously. Terra nodded, understanding that the anger wasn't directed at her.

"Oh, my God. He's coming over here!" Liz said, aghast. Sure enough, Jim lumbered his way over to the teams' table, holding a beer and smirking.

"Hey, what's up? Where's Lily and Charlie? Someone would have to shoo them for them to have missed regionals," He laughed, an evil grin on his face knowing full well that they couldn't do shit to him.

"You son of a bitch. We WILL find convicting evidence that you guys did it. And when we do, I'll make sure your death is nice and painful," Raven hissed.

Behind Jim, Beast Boy looked thoughtful. Maybe..._This might work," _ The boy thought. He leaned over to Cyborg. "How fast can you reconfigure those little holo rings of yours?" He whispered to Cyborg.

"Er...it wouldn't take that long. All I have to do is link it to my neurological systems and imagine the hologram. Why?" Cyborg asked, puzzled. Beast Boy grinned.

"Configure the one you have to look like Dumbo over there. Meet me in the restroom," He told the metal man. And with that, he said loudly "I've gotta use the restroom," and took off.

Raising an eyebrow, Cyborg did as he was told. Disabling the ring and placing it on his finger, he hooked it up to the wireless connection it shared with the computerized processor part of his brain, picturing Jim in his head. Soon, the change was complete and he took the ring off, enabling it. Then he, too, claimed he had to go to the restroom.

Inside one of the restroom stalls, Beast Boy was getting ready to try something he had wondered about ever since he'd gotten his powers. He knew that technically human beings were considered mammals. But would his powers accept them as animals?

He focused on Jim, picturing his muscled body, his mean disposition and his glee at having shot friends of the changeling. And he grew. Slowly, he shot up, his muscles grew, and within a minute a green reproduction of Jim of the BlazeRiders strode out of the stall.

Cyborg entered the restroom just as Beast Boy exited the stall. His eyes widened as the green man looked at him with a smirk. "You can do people?!" Cyborg cried.

"Eh. Guess so," Beast Boy replied with a shrug, sounding exactly like Jim. He stuck his hand out. "The ring? I need you to wire me. If I can get the other members to say something incriminating, we can get these guys," He explained.

Cyborg grinned and did as told. Within a couple minutes, an exact replica of Jim stood before him, complete with invisible wire. Then he frowned. "Uh, B? Clothes? You're still wearing your own. And for that matter, the real Jim's still out there," Cyborg realized.

"I know. You need to get someone to lead him in here. Knock him out, take his clothes, and we're set," Beast Boy smirked. He had already thought of everything.

Cyborg nodded. Beast Boy went back into the stall to wait until the real Jim entered.

Cyborg sat back down with his friends and whispered the plan. Robin's eyes got big and his mouth opened. "Are you sure he can do it? I mean, how the hell are we supposed to get him to go to the bathroom? Slip laxatives in his drink?" The Boy Wonder asked.

Liz laughed. "Man, Greeny Babie's growin' on me with every passing second. I have an idea," And with that, she stood up and made her way over to the BlazeRider's table.

"Hey, Jim. Look, sorry about Raven earlier. We just thought that since you were mad at us last week and all, that you might've, well, y'know. Tell ya what. Follow me, I can take ya out for dinner and make it up," Liz put on a seductive tone.

Jim looked up, surprised. A sly grin came over his face. "Okay. Sounds good. I'll see you guys in a bit," He said to his friends. They nodded and muttered something about Jim being lucky.

Liz beckoned for Jim to follow, and meandered over to the restrooms. "Uh, the door is that way," Jim pointed.

"I know, I have to take care of business first," Liz said in annoyance. Jim just said "Oh," and nodded.

They finally stopped in front of the doors. When Liz didn't immediately go for the women's door, Jim said "What're yo-"

He was cut off by Liz. Spinning around him, she shoved him roughly into the men's restroom door, hearing the sound of sonic cannon fire. Smirking, she poked her head in. "BB?" She questioned. He was out, currently stealing Jim's shirt and pants. "Ok, never mind. I don't need to see that," She muttered, closing the door.

Moments later, "Jim" came out of the restroom, the real Jim having been dragged unconscious into an empty stall. Beast Boy walked back over to the other BlazeRiders, who looked at him questiongly.

"She was leading me on. Just wanted to bitch at me for shooting her little friends," Beast Boy said with a laugh. Then he put a concerned look on his face. "Which one of you shot Charlie?" He asked.

"That was me," one of the others raised his hand. Beast Boy looked at him, judging him.

"Well, you almost caught his kneecap dude. We weren't shooting to cripple. And who got Lily? You? Yeah, you actually almost hit her torso," Beast Boy berated the other guy that raised his hand.

"Sorry man, Mike and I aren't exactly expert marksmen," the second guy apologized.

"Yeah, I actually thought Blake did a decent job on that little piece of street trash," Mike said with a laugh. Finally, "Jim" stood up.

"Damnit, gotta use the crapper. Back in a minute," He said gruffly. It had worked! He had a full confession on tape. _"HAH!" Just WAIT 'till I show this to Raven!" _He crowed mentally.

Entering the restrooms, he glanced at Cyborg. "Well? Did it work?" Cyborg asked anxiously.

Beast Boy played the tape back to Cyborg in response. Cyborg got an evil smirk on his face and charged his cannon. "BOO-YAH! Now we can go kick their sorry-" Beast Boy stopped them.

"Not in the club, man. We'll miss one band, but we'll need to get them out of here first. I'll do that. Get the others ready to intercept," He instructed. Cyborg nodded.

Back at the Titan's table, Cyborg informed them all of what happened. Raven's eyes lit up, her expression pure, evil and vindictive. Liz smirked, cracking her knuckles. "Oh, this ought to be fun," She said. All of them stood up, right as Two Drink Minimum began to play "Fly By Night," by Rush.

"Jim" walked back over to the table. "Come on guys, this is boring. Those punks aren't gonna scare so easily. Let's get out of here," Beast Boy suggested. The others nodded, paid for their drinks and left.

Outside, the cool summer air whipped at Beast Boy's face. He turned left out the door, walking down the street and turning left again to go behind the building.

When the BlazeRiders caught up, they were staring down one hooded, pissed off Azarathian, one green-eyed alien, a man with a cannon on his arm, a kid with a staff and bladed boomerangs, Liz and Jim.

"Uh, Jim? The hell?" Mike asked. "Jim" turned around, taking the ring off. "What Jim?" Beast Boy asked as he handed the ring back to Cyborg. The other Riders' eyes widened as they realized the truth.

"Oh, shit," Mike said. And that was all any of them had time to say.

Birdarangs, sonic fire, starbolts, Azarathian energy, bass guitars and gorilla fists flew everywhere. In the time span of a minute, they had been hit with everyone the Titans could throw at them. Finally, Raven caught them up in an energy bubble and lifted them.

"The cops are already picking Jim's sorry ass up out of the restroom. They'll be coming by for you idiots any minute now. And by the way, it's nice to know that you at least had the decency not to cripple my friends," Raven snarled.

A couple minutes later, three cop cars swung by, taking the Riders into custody and relieving Beast Boy of the wire tape. "Hold on a second," Beast Boy said. He went up to the car that Jim was in and smirked.

"Next time you go to shoot someone, get some people that aren't as dumb as they look," The changeling said with a laugh. Jim just glowered as the car sped off.

"Greeny Beanie, I love you in the most non-romantic way possible," Liz said, arms crossed and grinning at the boy. Beast Boy just looked at her and shook her head.

"Don't compliment me, compliment the girl who whipped me into shape," He laughed, putting his arm around Raven. Raven snorted as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for giving me an excuse to beat them up. I've wanted to do that for ages," Raven said, chuckling. Looking at her boyfriend, she noticed a sudden change in his face. His smile fell, turning instead into a look of concentration. "What?" Raven asked.

"Something...isn't right. I can't put my finger on it, but I have the strangest feeling that something is off somewhere," He said slowly. Robin furrowed his brows.

It was then that Beast Boy noticed it. He heard far away shouts. Shouts that only he could hear. He heard "HE'S OUT OF THE CAR, EASTBOUND! HE'S GOT A GUN!" Beast Boy's eyes widened, realizing that the cop cars had gone west.

By the time he had figured it out, it was too late. "EVERYBODY DU-" The changeling's voice was drowned out by the awfully familiar sound of a gunshot. Everyone looked around wildly. Beast Boy heard "WE GOT HIM! HEARD A SHOT FIRE!" from down the street.

Everyone looked around wildly. Beast Boy saw it first, and closed his eyes. He was too late.

Starfire lay face up on the concrete, blood pooling beneath her head.


	7. Cyborg and WHO?

"Uh, Jim? The hell?" Mike asked. "Jim" turned around, taking the ring off. "What Jim?" Beast Boy asked as he handed the ring back to Cyborg. The other Riders' eyes widened as they realized the truth.

"Oh, shit," Mike said. And that was all any of them had time to say.

Birdarangs, sonic fire, starbolts, Azarathian energy, bass guitars and gorilla fists flew everywhere. In the time span of a minute, they had been hit with everyone the Titans could throw at them. Finally, Raven caught them up in an energy bubble and lifted them.

"The cops are already picking Jim's sorry ass up out of the restroom. They'll be coming by for you idiots any minute now. And by the way, it's nice to know that you at least had the decency not to cripple my friends," Raven snarled.

A couple minutes later, three cop cars swung by, taking the Riders into custody and relieving Beast Boy of the wire tape. "Hold on a second," Beast Boy said. He went up to the car that Jim was in and smirked.

"Next time you go to shoot someone, get some people that aren't as dumb as they look," The changeling said with a laugh. Jim just glowered as the car sped off.

"Greeny Beanie, I love you in the most non-romantic way possible," Liz said, arms crossed and grinning at the boy. Beast Boy just looked at her and shook her head.

"Don't compliment me, compliment the girl who whipped me into shape," He laughed, putting his arm around Raven. Raven snorted as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for giving me an excuse to beat them up. I've wanted to do that for ages," Raven said, chuckling. Looking at her boyfriend, she noticed a sudden change in his face. His smile fell, turning instead into a look of concentration. "What?" Raven asked.

"Something...isn't right. I can't put my finger on it, but I have the strangest feeling that something is off somewhere," He said slowly. Robin furrowed his brows.

It was then that Beast Boy noticed it. He heard far away shouts. Shouts that only he could hear. He heard "HE'S OUT OF THE CAR, EASTBOUND! HE'S GOT A GUN!" Beast Boy's eyes widened, realizing that the cop cars had gone west.

By the time he had figured it out, it was too late. "EVERYBODY DU-" The changeling's voice was drowned out by the awfully familiar sound of a gunshot. Everyone looked around wildly. Beast Boy heard "WE GOT HIM! HEARD A SHOT FIRE!" from down the street.

Everyone looked around wildly. Beast Boy saw it first, and closed his eyes. He was too late.

Starfire lay face up on the concrete, blood pooling beneath her head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took the others a couple seconds to orient themselves after the deafening sound of the gunshot. Once their heads were clear, they caught sight of her.

"STARFIRE!!" Robin screamed. "GET AN ABULANCE! NOW!!" He shrieked. Liz already had her cell phone out, dialing 911.

Robin whipped around and grabbed Raven so hard that it hurt. "HEAL HER!" He screamed again. Raven pushed him away and kneeled by the alien girl. Her hands began to glow, but they stopped after a moment.

"I was able to close the wound, but I can't restore blood, Robin. I can't guarantee she'll make it," She said shakily. Everybody watched the ambulance came. Just as Robin was about to get into the ambulance, he caught sight of Jim being led back into the car.

Blinded by rage, he whipped out a handful of bladed Birdarangs and launched them at the band leader. Raven barely caught them in time to stop them from embedding in Jim's skull. Raven glared at Robin.

"Robin, you are a Teen Titan. NOT a murderer. I know you're in pain, but Starfire needs you by her side, not in jail. GO!" She roared, pushing him into the ambulance as it sped off.

Suddenly, she heard a loud crashing. Whipping around, she saw Beast Boy standing in front of a gorilla-fist sized hole in the brick wall. Approaching him, she put an arm around his shoulder. "Beast Boy, you acted as fast as possible. You probably saved the rest of us from the harm of whatever ricochet that bullet had," She said softly.

Beast Boy wrenched away from her. "This is MY fault. I heard him coming. I should've yelled sooner. I could have saved Star. I could've..." He broke down into tears, dropping on his hands and knees on the pavement.

"Beast Boy, you did your best. Come on, we're heading for the hospital, Liz is informing the event manager of what's happening as we speak," She picked him up and put his arm on her shoulder.

The T-Car sped through the city, doing over 100 MPH through the streets as the Titans raced towards the hospital. Once they got there, everyone sped towards the door, coming to a halt only once they reached the front desk.

"Ma'am, I'm looking for a patient under the name of either Starfire or Kori Anders," Raven said politely, controlling herself. The clerk pointed her to the floor that Starfire should be on, and the group used the elevator to climb the building. Reaching the floor, Raven did a mental sweep.

"Yeah, this is the right floor. Third door on the left," She said. Opening the door, they walked into a waiting room. Raven went to the desk.

"Can I help you, miss?" The woman asked.

"Yes, you can. I'm looking for a patient under the name of Kori Anders or Starfire. She was rushed in here with a kid in a black and white eye mask. Ring any bells?" Raven asked.

"I know who you're talking about. You're the other Titans, correct?" Raven nodded. "Come this way," The nurse invited her and the others through a door on the right of the desk.

"It'll be the fourth door on your right," The nurse informed them. Raven nodded curtly and proceeded briskly towards the door. Using all of her willpower not to fling the door off its hinges, she turned the knob with a shaking hand and opened it up.

Robin sat by Starfire's bed, watching and listening to the various beeps and monitors of her vitals. Amazingly, he had his mask off, although Raven quickly saw why. The thing was drenched in a mixture of sweat and tears.

"Is she...stable?" Cyborg questioned. Robin nodded. Cyborg's face split into a wide smile. "Well, if she's stable, that mean's she'll recover. Did they give you an estimate on how long she'll be here?" The metallic teen asked.

Robin shook his head. Then, suddenly, they heard bashing noises. Robin finally spoke. "What was that?" He asked quietly. Raven groaned. The sounds were coming from the restrooms, and Beast Boy was not in the room.

"I'll be back..." Raven sighed. A few minutes later, she brought back a changeling that had several bruises on his face courtesy of the hospital's metal sinks. Robin's eyes widened in surprise.

"He thinks that he didn't act fast enough, and that he's the reason Starfire got shot," Raven explained with a sigh. Robin just nodded and motioned for Beast Boy to move his way. Slowly, Beast Boy trudged over.

And quite suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Robin trapped the poor changeling into a death hug. Hoarse from crying so much, Robin could barely do more than whisper.

"Beast Boy, if you hadn't been there, hadn't been paying attention, she wouldn't be here. The police called me. They said that from foot prints and bullet trajectory that if Starfire had been standing completely upright, the bullet would have gone clean through her neck, either rupturing a vital artery or severing her spinal cord," Robin told him.

Beast Boy smiled slightly. So she _had _heard him, and did indeed crouch, though not enough apparently. Raven gave him a soft smile and said "See? You saved her life, Gar. She'll wake up to see another day because of you."

"So...I didn't completely fail her?" Beast Boy whispered. Everyone shook their heads. "And she's going to fully recover?" He asked. Everyone nodded. "Thank God," He said, sighing in relief. He approached her bedside and leaned down to give the Tamaranian a small kiss on the forehead, then took a seat on the floor. "Figures, Robin has the only chair," He muttered humorously.

"Awww," Cyborg said under his breath, but still loud enough for Beast Boy to hear it and blush. A doctor came in, checked up on Starfire and addressed the Titans.

"My name is Doctor Mopzor," She introduced herself. "Your friend Starfire obviously has a different biology than I am used to working with, but the differences are minimal. As such, I can guarantee that Starfire _will _make a full recovery. She should be back and ready for anything in about 3 weeks to a month," She assured them. Then she winced slightly, causing a look of fear on Robin's face.

"The bad news is that visiting hours are over," She explained. Robin let out a huge sigh. "However, I understand you are in a relationship with the girl?" Doctor Mopzor directed her attention to the Boy Wonder. He nodded. "I believe I can arrange for you stay in the room overnight, if you wish," She said with a smile.

Robin smiled back. "That'd be great," He said appreciatively. He looked to the other Titans. "Er...find a hotel, I guess. I don't want us leaving here until Starfire is ready. Call Bumblebee, see if Titans East can't cover Jump City," He instructed.

"I can take care of that," Cyborg said. Beast Boy and Raven both snorted. Cyborg shot them death glares as they exited the room. "For the last time, keep your damn noses out of it," He said, flustered.

"What am I missing here?" Liz asked. Raven rolled her eyes.

"Cyborg has this girl named Bumblebee that lives a city away from out home city that he likes. He refuses to admit that he likes her though. Thing is, he also has feelings for this girl named Jinx that he won't fess up to," She explained. Cyborg scowled as they piled into the T-Car.

"Wonder who won the Battle," Liz said as they drove off. Raven frowned. She hadn't really paid any mind to the competition once they rushed for the hospital. "I'm gonna call the club up, see who won. It'll be something to take up our minds with," Liz told them.

"Hello? This is Liz of Nevermore. I just wanted to see who placed where in the Battle tonight. We had to rush a friend to the hospital, so... oh, really? Wow. Are you serious? That's great to hear. Ok, thanks," The Titans could only hear her end of the conversation, so when Liz turned to them they all looked at her, questioning.

"You aren't gonna believe this. We placed second! We passed, Raven! And Nationals aren't for another good 3 months or so, so Star'll have plenty of time to recover," Liz said, beaming. All of them just gaped as Cyborg pulled into a Holiday Inn & Suites.

"Alright, everyone out," Cyborg said. Entering the hotel lobby, they booked two two-room suites with all the works. Taking their keys, they headed to the second floor where their rooms were.

"I'm getting a room with Raven, obviously," Beast Boy said, winking slyly at his girlfriend. She responded by rolling her eyes, and the other two gagged.

"Fine, Cy and I will take the other room. See ya later," Liz said. It was about 8 pm, so Beast Boy and Raven decided to tuck into their room for a while.

Raven sat on the edge of the bed. pulled her guitar out and began abstractly playing, minus her amp. Her face was pensive as she picked on the strings, and finally she began singing softly.

Beastly senses in the dark of the night

Saved an innocent girl from evil's bite

He saved her from rage, he saved her from hate

Yet he blames himself for warning too late

She finished, not aware that Beast Boy was snuggled up on the side of the bed she was on, listening with eyes closed to the song. She was also not aware that she had unconsciously dropped into her mother tongue while singing.

"So that's how you think of songs, huh? Get inspiration, play a bit and let words come to you?" He asked, causing her to jump slightly. She turned and smiled.

"Usually, yes. What did you think?" She asked.

"Well...What'd it mean? You weren't singing English. I heard "zinthos" a couple times though. Was that Azarathian?" He asked. Raven laughed slightly. Slipping into her first language was something Raven had done quite a few times when she sang. She had just never done it around anyone.

"Yes, it was, Garfield. 'Zinthos' means a couple different things, but it basically means 'protector' or 'righteous,'" She explained. "The song was about a beast whose senses saved a girl from evil," She said with a smile. Beast Boy pointed at himself, questioning, and Raven nodded.

The changeling sighed. Then his ears perked up. Raven cocked an eyebrow. "Sensitive hearing?" She asked.

"Yeah, but it's Cyborg. I hear...I can't be hearing right. Senses must be dulled from the gunshot," He said, shaking his head. _I have got to be having hearing problems, _The changeling thought. He was hearing Cyborg and Liz, and they were talking in a tone that sounded almost...romantic?

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Hearing what from Cyborg?" She asked. _Please GOD tell me that I am so wrong, and I just jump to conclusions way too easily. PLEASE Azar, _She supplicated.

"Uhm...why don't we just go check it out?" Beast Boy suggested. Raven nodded, and the pair set off. Nearing the door to Liz and Cyborg's room, Raven and Beast Boy listened. "Don't worry, this is for our own peace of mind," Beast Boy told Raven, seeing her guilty face.

"...don't think it would work with either of them, y'know? But there's something... I dunno, different about you," They heard Cyborg say.

"Heh. I could say the same for you, except my reasons are pretty obvious, Terminator," Liz laughed. Raven's eyes widened. _TERMINATOR?! _ She thought.

"No, seriously, I think we could have a shot...what's your name? And don't tell me it's Cyborg," Liz warned him.

Cyborg laughed. "It's Victor. Victor Stone. I just haven't used the name much since I joined the Titans. I guess I just consider Cyborg to be my new identity, and Victor to be the guy I used to be when I was completely human, y'know?"

Raven looked over at Beast Boy, a vein throbbing on her forehead and terror in her eyes. Beast Boy was shaking in silent laughter, but was silenced by a death glare that clearly read "this is NOT funny" from his girlfriend.

"You're still completely human, Victor. Human isn't about a body, Term. It's about soul and spirit. Tell ya what, let's ditch the hotel for a bit and catch something to eat?" Liz suggested. Raven's eyes went even wider. Beast Boy was dying laughing at this point, unable to keep himself controlled.

"Sounds good, Lizzy. Let me grab my ring real quick," Cyborg said.

Raven had heard enough. Motioning for Beast Boy to follow, she hauled ass for her own room, her changeling boyfriend close on her tail.

"OH. MY. FUCKING. GOD!" Raven screamed once inside. Beast Boy was snickering uncontrollably, gasping for air. Finally, he managed to stand long enough to get to the bed before busting up again.

"Terminator? Oh God, that's...that's hilarious!" He gasped out. Raven was rubbing her head profusely. One of her best girlfriends was putting the moves on her cybernetic teammate!

Beast Boy gave an even louder snort as he realized something. "Hey Rae" He said, finally getting a grip.

"Do I even want to know?" She groaned.

"Well...I wonder what Liz is gonna do when she finds out Cyborg is...well...missing...certain pieces," Beast Boy said, barely keeping a straight face. Raven's jaw dropped in horror.

"Tell me you aren't saying what I think you're saying!" She commanded. It wasn't a question. Beast Boy looked down.

"Would if I could, babe. But yeah...Lack of breasts is the only separation," The green elf couldn't help it any longer, rolling off the bed with laughter. Raven just stood in shock. Then they heard a knock on their door.

Raven opened it to see Cyborg. She instantly burst out into a mix of wild laughter and groans. Still giggling, she motioned for Beast Boy to go to the door as she collapsed on the bed in a fit of laughter.

"Oooookay. What, did you finally get naked in front of her?" Cyborg asked teasingly.

"ZING! Burn" Liz commented behind him. Beast Boy scowled.

"No," He said shortly. "What do you guys want?"

"Liz and I are heading out for something to eat. Just thought I'd let you know," Cyborg said casually.

"Ok. Just keep it clean, Cy. I don't want to hear any naughty stuff tonight," Beast Boy grinned, knowing full well that he had just repaid his friend for his last comment.

Cyborg blushed. "AS IF!" He yelled before he stomped off with Liz in tow.

"Did I get naked...son of a...asshole..." Beast Boy muttered. Raven caught her breath.

"Oh, Azar. I just couldn't look him straight in the eye. Sorry about that. I can kill him about the naked thing if you want," She offered. Beast Boy just shook his head.

"Nah. I'm just gonna get some sleep. I want to get up early tomorrow so I can be with Starfire. And no, I'm not cheating on you," He added with a wink, kissing her on the forehead. Raven frowned in annoyance and grabbed his head, pulling him into a real kiss.

"If you're going to kiss me goodnight, do it right," She said with a playful smirk.

"I'll remember that," He said as he flopped onto the bed and hid under the sheets. Raven soon joined him, and the two fell asleep cuddled in each other's arms.


	8. I'll Bleed For You

Beast Boy: I am hereby on strike from these pre-chapter conversations. I keep getting WTFpwnt by Raven.

Robin: Erm...two things wrong with that. One, you only get schooled by Raven because you beg for it. And two, you can't be on strike since you're participating in this one.

Beast Boy:...Is it really always necessary to bust my balls, Robin? You like it that much?

Robin: Nah, I'll Raven do that. After all, she's the one interested in them...

Raven:...

Beast Boy: Yay! Raven's gonna kill someone else this time!

(Robin is heard screaming and Raven is head saying "Yeah, see this bo staff? Wanna know where it's getting ready to be SURGICALLY IMPLANTED?!")

Beast Boy: (winces) Ouch. Just ouch.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"OH. MY. FUCKING. GOD!" Raven screamed once inside. Beast Boy was snickering uncontrollably, gasping for air. Finally, he managed to stand long enough to get to the bed before busting up again.

"Terminator? Oh God, that's...that's hilarious!" He gasped out. Raven was rubbing her head profusely. One of her best girlfriends was putting the moves on her cybernetic teammate!

Beast Boy gave an even louder snort as he realized something. "Hey Rae" He said, finally getting a grip.

"Do I even want to know?" She groaned.

"Well...I wonder what Liz is gonna do when she finds out Cyborg is...well...missing...certain pieces," Beast Boy said, barely keeping a straight face. Raven's jaw dropped in horror.

"Tell me you aren't saying what I think you're saying!" She commanded. It wasn't a question. Beast Boy looked down.

"Would if I could, babe. But yeah...Lack of breasts is the only separation," The green elf couldn't help it any longer, rolling off the bed with laughter. Raven just stood in shock. Then they heard a knock on their door.

Raven opened it to see Cyborg. She instantly burst out into a mix of wild laughter and groans. Still giggling, she motioned for Beast Boy to go to the door as she collapsed on the bed in a fit of laughter.

"Oooookay. What, did you finally get naked in front of her?" Cyborg asked teasingly.

"ZING! Burn" Liz commented behind him. Beast Boy scowled.

"No," He said shortly. "What do you guys want?"

"Liz and I are heading out for something to eat. Just thought I'd let you know," Cyborg said casually.

"Ok. Just keep it clean, Cy. I don't want to hear any naughty stuff tonight," Beast Boy grinned, knowing full well that he had just repaid his friend for his last comment.

Cyborg blushed. "AS IF!" He yelled before he stomped off with Liz in tow.

"Did I get naked...son of a...asshole..." Beast Boy muttered. Raven caught her breath.

"Oh, Azar. I just couldn't look him straight in the eye. Sorry about that. I can kill him about the naked thing if you want," She offered. Beast Boy just shook his head.

"Nah. I'm just gonna get some sleep. I want to get up early tomorrow so I can be with Starfire. And no, I'm not cheating on you," He added with a wink, kissing her on the forehead. Raven frowned in annoyance and grabbed his head, pulling him into a real kiss.

"If you're going to kiss me goodnight, do it right," She said with a playful smirk.

"I'll remember that," He said as he flopped onto the bed and hid under the sheets. Raven soon joined him, and the two fell asleep cuddled in each other's arms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beast Boy didn't need his body clock to wake him up. He had woken up at three in the morning, electing to stay in the bed in Raven's embrace rather than wake her. All he could think about was his injured teammate.

_God... what if her condition goes south overnight? What if we go in and she's dead? Damnit! I just HAD to be all noble and catch those guys. If I had just ignored them... The fight wouldn't have occurred. God damn me to hell... _Beast Boy simply lay there, thoughts similar to these running through his head.

The entire time, he couldn't get the thoughts out. His head filled with visions of what they might walk in to. Starfire, lying with her eyes shut and her monitor making one solid sound. Robin, buried in grief, unable to continue leading the team, causing the Titans to disband. _And it would all be because of my stupid mistakes, _Beast Boy thought miserably.

Raven, unbeknownst to her boyfriend, had been awoken at 4 AM by the strength of the sour emotions coursing through his mind. Rather than start up another pointless pep talk, she simply lay there and frowned. The "Titans breaking up" thing was the last straw, though. Scowling in annoyance, she poked her boyfriend in the head to get his attention.

"Hey!" Beast Boy yelped. Flipping over, he saw Raven laying on her side, propping her head up with her elbow. Looking at her face, he knew she wasn't happy with him. "Er...did I hog the sheets or snore or something?" He asked nervously, eyeing the digital clock. It read 5 AM.

"No, you woke me up at four with your incessant self-beatings," She said, clearly annoyed. Beast Boy opened his mouth, but she put a hand up. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm an empath. It's not optional. And when people lay in bed wondering if everything's going to fall to pieces because they blame themselves for shit that they had no control over, I can feel it," She told him. Now it was Beast Boy who scowled.

"I'm just worried. I mean, like it or not, I'm right. If I had left Jim alone, we'd be back in Jump City celebrating Nevermore's second-place win with everyone. I... I don't want her to die. I d-don't want her last memories be of fighting and p-pain. I don't..." He didn't finish his sentence as he broke down. He collapsed on to Raven, who could feel tears flowing freely down the bare skin of her shoulder. She embraced him, nuzzling her nose in his neck.

Shushing him softly and patting his back, she felt rather like she was mothering a baby. "Ok, calm down, BB. We're going to walk in, and she's going to be better than she was last night. Hush," She whispered. Slowly, he began to calm himself, taking a moment to compose himself before he let her go.

Beast Boy took several deep breaths, wiping his eyes on the sheets. "Thank you," He said softly. "I just hope you're right..." He murmured, staring out the window into the dawning daylight.

"You'd have done the same for me, and I am _always _right," She said, punctuating the last remark with a playful smirk. Beast Boy snorted, causing Raven to sit up and put her hands in her hips and raise an eyebrow. "What was that?" She asked.

Beast Boy couldn't help but smile. "Let's see. You thought we couldn't beat Trigon, you thought we would never get together, you thought that Wicked Scary 4 wouldn't freak you out, you thought Aqualad was handsome..." He ticked each statement off on each finger, Raven getting increasingly annoyed and embarrassed that her boyfriend was busting her and loving it.

"Hey, that Aqualad shot was cheap," She complained. Beast Boy grinned, then frowned when the annoyed look stayed.

"Don't make me do it, Raven," He warned with a smile. She looked at him, confused, then went wide-eyed in terror.

"You better not...damn," She swore. Beast Boy had given her The Face. She tried to keep the annoyed look on, but failed miserably as her lips yanked themselves upward. "Damn you and that face," She muttered as he leapt into her lap, purring. "Ok, The Face is bad enough. The purring is just insult to injury," She said. "Fucker," She added as he purred again and gave her another Face.

An hour later, the Azarathian couple dressed themselves and flew to the hospital. Retracing their steps to the area where Starfire was being cared for, Raven informed the clerk nurse of their purpose.

"Starfire...Starfire...oh..." The woman's face drained of color. "What?" Raven asked, anxiously.

"They rushed to the emergency wing an hour ago. She was in critical condition. You'll be wanting to go down to the ground floor. Big red 'Emergency Room' sign, you can't miss it. Here," She said, passing them a couple ID cards. "Those are ER passes. Good luck with your friend," She said. Except they weren't there when she spoke.

Raven teleported them down to the first floor, both of them making a beeline for the ER doors. "Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay, please be okay," Beast Boy kept saying to himself. Raven was searching for a nurse or doctor, but unfortunately Beast Boy spotted one first.

Unable to control himself, he grabbed the doctor by the shoulders and demanded to know Starfire's whereabouts. Raven sighed, slapped her forehead, suspended her boyfriend in the air with her powers, and used the diplomatic approach.

"Sorry...We have a friend here somewhere by the name of Starfire. She's a Teen Titan, and there was probably a guy with spiky hair and a traffic-light colored suit on with her. Any ideas?" She asked, setting the now-calmed Beast Boy down and shaking her head at him.

"Yes, she kind of hard to miss. And so is he. Orange skin, red hair, green eyes?" He questioned. Raven nodded. "As far as I last knew, she was moved to the third room on the right there. I'm not sure of her condition though," He digressed.

"Thank you, sir," Raven said curtly. The pair took off, skidding to a halt in front of the doorway and rushing in. "How is she?" Raven half asked, half demanded when she saw Robin. Or rather, Robin's back.

"She's in need of blood, and they're having a tough time finding the right type. Her blood isn't human, and they're trying to figure out what it'll match with," He explained, turning around. Raven looked downcast, and Beast Boy looked...thoughtful?

"Uhm... It's risky, but I may have an idea," The changeling said slowly. Robin almost suffered whiplash as his head snapped up to look at Beast Boy, questioning.

"Well...What got my through my disease was that transfusion of animal DNA into my bloodstream. That also gave me the shape-shifting ability. So when I change..."

"Your blood is what lets you do it! It adapts! You're a fucking genius!" Robin cried, squeezing the shit out of his teammate. Beast Boy slowly extracted himself and continued.

"It'd be risky, though. If my blood doesn't work, having two non-compatible types of blood in Starfire's system could very well kill her. And...well, there's a possibility that the transfusion would rid my body of that DNA, leaving me with no powers and at maximum two weeks to live," He finished. Robin and Raven's faces both drained of color. They were faced with a very difficult choice: Have Beast Boy give Starfire blood, which could kill Starfire if it failed and had a shot at killing Beast Boy if it worked, or hope that the doctors would find a compatible, willing donor before it was too late.

"Damn," Robin swore. One part of his mind screamed at him, saying that Starfire's life was far more important than Beast Boy's. Another part said that he couldn't risk one teammate's well being for the condition of another.

"This has to be a team decision," Robin said finally. Beast Boy shook his head.

"No. Every second we wait is a second that Starfire loses," He said. He closed his eyes for a few moments, took a deep breath, and said "I'm doing it."

And with that, Beast Boy strode out of the room with a purpose, leaving Robin and Raven to worry for the lives of both of their teammates and loved ones. "I'm at least contacting Cyborg. He needs to know what's happening," Robin said. Raven nodded.

"Robin to Cyborg. Do you read?" Cyborg heard his communicator go off as he pulled up to the hospital with Liz in the passenger seat. "What's up, Robin?" He answered.

"Starfire was rushed to the ER this morning. She's lost more blood than first predicted, and the doctors are still searching for a blood type that'll work with Starfire's alien blood. And no, your scanners won't do any better," Robin said, causing Cyborg to shut his mouth.

"That's not the only reason I called you. Beast Boy came up with an idea. He says that the DNA that's infused into his blood is what makes his powers possible. Therefore, it could quite possibly adapt to Starfire's blood and work," Robin continued.

" BOO-YAH! Man, he sure can use his brain when he wants to. I'll be there as soon as I-" Robin cut him off.

"I wasn't done, Cyborg. He also said that the DNA in his body is what got him through that fatal disease he contracted. There's a possibility that either his blood won't work, or that the process would rid him of that DNA, making him powerless and giving him 2 weeks to live at most," Robin finished. Cyborg gasped audibly.

"He's going to do it anyway, isn't he?" Cyborg asked fearfully, knowing damn good and well the answer that he was going to hear.

"Yeah, he's talking to the doctors as we speak. Where are you and Liz at?" Robin said in a shaky voice.

"We just pulled up to the hospital. We'll be there ASAP. Cyborg, over and out," The half-man cut the connection. He turned to Liz, a look of fear in his human eye. Liz, having heard the conversation, just said "Come on. Let's go."

The Titan and bassist got to the room just as Beast Boy was getting hooked up. "Hey, Cy," Beast Boy said, smiling. Cyborg closed his eyes, nodding.

"Alright, Star. Here we go," Beast Boy whispered. And with that, Beast Boy's greenish-black blood began to flow from his IV into Starfire's. The doctors had placed a monitor on Starfire that allowed them to see the blood as it appeared. Starfire's light-green blood met with Beast Boy's, and everyone's eyes were glued to the monitor, waiting.

Slowly, slowly, the color of Beast Boy's blood began to lighten. "It's...it's working..." Robin whispered. Sure enough, eventually the incoming blood flow was the same color as Starfire's. After Starfire had been re-supplied with enough blood to keep her healthy, the doctors carefully extracted the needles.

"Oooh... I don't feel so good," Beast Boy moaned, rubbing his head. Liz laughed slightly.

"You're getting lightheaded. You just donated a lot of blood, Greeny Beanie. Your body's recovering, and light headedness is pretty common," She explained to the changeling. He nodded, the last thing he did before fainting.

"Can we test his blood for that DNA?" Raven asked anxiously. The doctor nodded.

"We will, but he needs to rest first. When he recovers, we'll draw some blood and find out. But right now, he needs rest. He'll probably be up in a few ho-" The doctor was cut off.

"Uhng...My head...Where am I?" Starfire asked.


	9. Medical Mayhem

Raven: Why is it that you morons continue to attempt to insult me? It always ends in pain for you.

Beast Boy: (Is seen sneaking up behind Raven as she rants with a water balloon)

Raven: Seriously, half the time you wind up pulling various objects out of- YAHHH!

Beast Boy: (laughs, having somehow thrown the balloon_ up into her robe, causing her leotard to soak. And we all know what happens when a girl in skintight clothes gets drenched in water_)

Raven: (Looks down at herself, blushes, and covers her chest with her hands) Garfield Mark Logan!! You are so goddamned DEAD!

Beast Boy: Erm... I was behind you. How could I have hit your leotard? Your cape covers it.

Robin: (Realizes what Beast Boy has done as he screams in pain, levitated by Raven) BEAST BOY, I AM SO GOING TO KILL YOU!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Robin to Cyborg. Do you read?" Cyborg heard his communicator go off as he pulled up to the hospital with Liz in the passenger seat. "What's up, Robin?" He answered.

"Starfire was rushed to the ER this morning. She's lost more blood than first predicted, and the doctors are still searching for a blood type that'll work with Starfire's alien blood. And no, your scanners won't do any better," Robin said, causing Cyborg to shut his mouth.

"That's not the only reason I called you. Beast Boy came up with an idea. He says that the DNA that's infused into his blood is what makes his powers possible. Therefore, it could quite possibly adapt to Starfire's blood and work," Robin continued.

" BOO-YAH! Man, he sure can use his brain when he wants to. I'll be there as soon as I-" Robin cut him off.

"I wasn't done, Cyborg. He also said that the DNA in his body is what got him through that fatal disease he contracted. There's a possibility that either his blood won't work, or that the process would rid him of that DNA, making him powerless and giving him 2 weeks to live at most," Robin finished. Cyborg gasped audibly.

"He's going to do it anyway, isn't he?" Cyborg asked fearfully, knowing damn good and well the answer that he was going to hear.

"Yeah, he's talking to the doctors as we speak. Where are you and Liz at?" Robin said in a shaky voice.

"We just pulled up to the hospital. We'll be there ASAP. Cyborg, over and out," The half-man cut the connection. He turned to Liz, a look of fear in his human eye. Liz, having heard the conversation, just said "Come on. Let's go."

The Titan and bassist got to the room just as Beast Boy was getting hooked up. "Hey, Cy," Beast Boy said, smiling. Cyborg closed his eyes, nodding.

"Alright, Star. Here we go," Beast Boy whispered. And with that, Beast Boy's greenish-black blood began to flow from his IV into Starfire's. The doctors had placed a monitor on Starfire that allowed them to see the blood as it appeared. Starfire's light-green blood met with Beast Boy's, and everyone's eyes were glued to the monitor, waiting.

Slowly, slowly, the color of Beast Boy's blood began to lighten. "It's...it's working..." Robin whispered. Sure enough, eventually the incoming blood flow was the same color as Starfire's. After Starfire had been re-supplied with enough blood to keep her healthy, the doctors carefully extracted the needles.

"Oooh... I don't feel so good," Beast Boy moaned, rubbing his head. Liz laughed slightly.

"You're getting lightheaded. You just donated a lot of blood, Greeny Beanie. Your body's recovering, and light headedness is pretty common," She explained to the changeling. He nodded, the last thing he did before fainting.

"Can we test his blood for that DNA?" Raven asked anxiously. The doctor nodded.

"We will, but he needs to rest first. When he recovers, we'll draw some blood and find out. But right now, he needs rest. He'll probably be up in a few ho-" The doctor was cut off.

"Uhng...My head...Where am I?" Starfire asked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Starfire!" Robin cried, dashing over to her bedside. Starfire looked up, groggy but happy to see the Boy Wonder.

"Robin! I am glad to see that you are safe. But why am I in the medical bay?" She asked, confused.

Robin laughed. "You're not in Titans Tower, Star. You're in a hospital in New York. You were shot, remember?" He told her.

Starfire gasped. "I remember hearing the noise, and hearing friend Beast Boy yell 'Duck!' I began to lower myself, but then I felt a sudden pain...and now I have awoken here. I was shot by an Earth gun?" She questioned. Everyone nodded. "Is anyone else harmed?" She asked. Everyone shook their heads. "I am most glad to hear of it," She smiled.

"No one was injured in the fight, but you gave us a hell of a scare, Starfire. When you got shot, it took them two hours to get you under stable condition. And just now, not even an hour ago you regressed back from blood loss. You were dying, Star," Robin said, his voice cracking.

Starfire's eyes widened. "But I was...saved? How?" She cocked her head curiously.

Robin pointed to the unconscious green changeling in Raven's arms. "He gave you blood. His blood contains the DNA he uses for his powers. When it entered your bloodstream, it adapted to your own blood, mimicking it," He explained.

"Why is he not moving?" Starfire asked, slightly alarmed. Robin laughed.

"Don't worry, he's just tired out by the amount of blood he gave. He's just resting," Robin assured her.

Starfire looked grateful. Then she halted, looking around at her friends. Tamaranians were known for their ability to read other people, to understand their feelings. She narrowed her eyes, seeing the slight looks of worry on her friends' faces.

"There is something you are not telling me, friends. I demand you reveal it," Starfire commanded, surprising all of them and making them feel slightly guilty. They hadn't wanted to worry Starfire about the potential side effect of Beast Boy's actions, but they'd been called.

"Sorry Star, I just didn't want you worrying the instant you woke up. Beast Boy's animal DNA is what saved him from a fatal disease in his childhood. There's a chance that by donating so much blood, he may have lost that DNA due its unstable nature..." Robin trailed off. He didn't need to finish his sentence.

Starfire gasped, her eyes wide with horror. "He may...die? Was there no other alternative?" Starfire stammered. Robin shook his head.

"Your alien blood was unfamiliar to the doctors. They were trying to see what blood types it would work with, but the process was progressing too slowly. I know, Star. I'd hate to see him go too. We all would," He said, hearing noises of confirmation from his friends.

Leaving Robin to stay with Starfire, the others returned to their hotel. Raven carried her boyfriend to the bed, laying him down and looking upon him in terror. _If I lose him... I don't know what I would do. Is this what happened to cause things to be the way they were when Warp sent Starfire through time? Wait...can't be. Beast Boy was still alive in that future..._ She sighed, picking her guitar up and continuing from the beginnings of the song she had sang last night.

Beastly senses in the dark of the night

Saved an innocent girl from evil's bite

He saved her from rage, he saved her from hate

Yet he blames himself for warning too late

Sacrifice to his friend

A single hope her blood to mend

Unknown result

A choice difficult

The decisions are made

(Chorus)

Blood related, not without a price

His life he might pay for his sacrifice

He never cares, as long as she wakes

He gladly dies to do what it takes

She continued until he woke up, coming up with just the right melody for the words. "Damn...Is this what a hangover is like?" Beast Boy muttered, sitting up.

Raven laughed gently, reminding him strongly of Knowledge. "Possibly. I wouldn't know. You did it, BB. She's awake. You saved her," She told him. Beast Boy grinned and pumped his fist.

"It worked! I knew I was onto something! So... Did they take my blood?" He asked.

Raven looked him, confused, then realized what he was asking. "No, not yet. I want everyone to be here when we do this, Beast Boy. I...I want everyone to know that you're disease-free. Come on, I'll tell the others," She said.

Informing Cyborg and Liz that they were going back to the hospital to get the verdict on Beast Boy's condition, the Titans and Liz drove back to the hospital.

The entire time this ordeal had been going on, Terra had been somewhat hanging back, staying in her own hotel room. However, when she heard that they were going to check on Beast Boy's survival, she instantly headed for the hospital.

Breathing deeply, Beast Boy allowed the doctors to draw his blood sample. He held Raven's hand the entire time due to his fear of needles. Raven just gave that same Knowledge smile to him again.

After what seemed like an eternity in the waiting room, he was announced. "Garfield Logan?" The nurse called. The green boy raised his hand, and he and his friends filed into the office. Robin had left Starfire for the moment, wanting to be with the others when his friends' condition was announced.

The doctor looked at Beast Boy, who gave a shaky smile in return. "Beast Boy, correct?" He asked.

"That's right," He replied.

"Well...There has been a rather... interesting... occurrence. You've kept your animal DNA," He said. Everyone let out a laugh of relief. The doctor held his hand up.

"That's the normal part. Here's where it gets interesting. You've...kind of lost your disease, Garfield," The doctor said. Beast Boy was dumbfounded. His body had ridded itself of Sakutia? "Now, remember our concerns that your animal DNA might transfer to Starfire? Well...it seems that the Sakutia disease is what actually traveled through," He said.

Robin's face drained of color. "No...Oh, my God..." Robin muttered. The doctor shook his head.

"I wasn't done. Starfire isn't quite reacting to the virus as a human would. In fact, her body seems to have...absorbed it. It would seem that she has simply absorbed it into herself just like a human would any other nutrient. She's not shown any symptoms, and oddly enough she seems to be recovering at a heightened rate," He explained.

Everyone gave Beast Boy odd looks. "What? Don't look at me. I didn't know," Beast Boy shrugged.

"In other words, I do believe Garfield here has made a breakthrough in Tamaranian medicine," The doctor finished, looking and sounding slightly amused.

Everyone stood there, silently, mouths open as they absorbed what they had just heard. Finally, Robin spoke.

"Wait a minute. So you're telling me that the disease Beast Boy had actually has medicinal purposes for Tamaranians, and that he just simultaneously rid himself of it and given it to Starfire?" He summarized.

"Yes. That is exactly what I'm telling you," The doctor confirmed.

Everyone stared, shocked at Beast Boy.

"I repeat: I did not know." He said.

They all exited the office, still numb from shock. "Guys, we need to get outside for a minute," Robin said.

"Any particular reason?" Raven asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Come on," Robin beckoned them, ignoring her. Raven scowled slightly and followed after him, as did everyone else.

Once outside, Robin looked left and right, making sure there was no one around. Everyone looked between each other, clearly thinking the same thing: Is he nuts?

Suddenly, the Boy Wonder yanked Beast Boy out by the collar. "Beast Boy?" He questioned his green friend.

"Uhm...yeah...?" The confused changeling responded.

"YOU FUCKING ROCK!!" Robin yelled, cuffing Beast Boy hard enough to knock him to the ground and dancing around the parking lot in sheer glee.

Beast Boy got up, dusted himself off, and verbalized everyone's unanimous thought. "Uhm...what the hell?" He asked.

It took Robin a good ten to fifteen minutes to calm down. Finally, gasping to regain his breath, he turned to look at his teammates, who were seriously thinking about dialing up the funny farm.

"Uh...I know you're happy and all, but...Really?" Beast Boy asked, still looking at Robin like he was insane. Robin couldn't blame him.

"Sorry...I just never saw that coming. You're both gonna live. I just...it had to come out somewhere," He said with a laugh. Everyone else gave a major sweatdrop.

"Uhm...right...How about we go get some New York pizza? We'll bring you back some, if you want to stay here, Robin," Terra suggested. Robin nodded, still out of breath. The others agreed, and headed back to the hotel for a phone book.

Two days later, Starfire was ready to leave the hospital. She was still somewhat fragile, but the Sakutia had helped her immensely. But throughout all the fuss over Starfire, there was something none of them had noticed but Beast Boy.

In fact, once they got back to the Tower he made a point of not being seen until the fifth day after he had saved Starfire. It wasn't hard, except for staying from Raven. The excuse he used for her was that he was just tired from everything and could use the alone time. That and frequent trips out of the Tower allowed him to keep to himself.

Finally, the day came. The day where everyone would notice what they had missed before. Beast Boy checked himself out and smiled. Putting on a blue T-shirt and some denim shorts, he went down for breakfast. Putting on a straight face, he walked into the kitchen.

"Morning, Be-" Robin's mouth dropped open, his fork falling to the floor. One by one, everyone looked up and utensils fell from hands.

He had blue eyes, and his blonde hair had grown to his tanned shoulders. He still had his animal-like ears, and his face still bore the same fun-loving grin.

"Beast Boy, you stole one of my damned rings. Give it," Cyborg demanded. Raven shook her head.

"No, he didn't. It's the Sakutia, isn't it Gar? And that's why your hair grew so quick... the growth was being suppressed..." She whispered.

Understanding dawned on Robin. "That disease...that's what made you green! I can't believe I didn't think of this before. You're...you!" He said, still looking his friend over.

"Wait. You're tellin' me that the grass stain isn't a grass stain any longer?" Cyborg said, shocked. Robin and Raven both nodded. "Then how am I supposed to make fun of him?" The half-man cried in desperation, earning a glare from Raven and a small laugh from Robin.

"So...Better or worse?" Beast Boy asked nervously. But instead of answering, his friends just winced. By the time Beast Boy turned around, it was too late.

"You look simply glorious, friend Beast Boy!" Starfire exclaimed, trapping him in her patented Tamaranian Death Hug. After almost killing the newly normal colored boy, she released him.

"I pretty much agree. I'm gonna miss the green, but normal looks good on you," Raven said with a smile.

"Oh yeah! Check this out!" Beast Boy said. He morphed a tiger. An orange tiger with black stripes. Then he morphed a brown furred grizzly bear. Finally, he morphed a cute orange kitten and smacked an unsuspecting Raven with The Face.

"What was that for?!" Raven cried. She giggled, yes, _giggled_, as her evil little boyfriend jumped into her lap.

"Wow. As if The Face wasn't bad enough before," Robin muttered.


	10. I'm Sorry! Author Note

-1Raven: Care to explain why you haven't updated? (Gives author a death glare)

Me: Okay, okay! Sheesh! Anyway, I've been busy with school, plus I've recently been dabbling in video editing. Right now I'm working on a Red X video to the song "Joker and the Thief" by Wolf mother :D.

Red X: Sounds like a plan. I like the music selection.

Me: Thanks. Anyway, I WILL update, I promise! Just gotta get some free time. Plus, I've written another chapter for this twice, only to have it deleted by one way or another before I could save it.

Red X: (whistling innocently)

Me: Should've known…I'm also going to update "Even Superheroes Need to Vent," So yeah. Sorry all! Raven, do two things. First, don't kill me, and second, don't let fans of my story kill me. Okay?

Raven: Fine. You better update, though. And soon. I speak for the masses.

Me: I know. Under penalty of death?

Raven: (Nods)

Me: Just wanted to be clear.


	11. Suspicion

-1Raven: It's about damned time you updated this.

Me: Sorry! I had schoolwork I was behind on. Plus 60+ hours at work per two weeks. Not to mention I've found the wonderful, if frustrating at times, world of AMV making. Yeah…

Beast Boy: Yeah! He's making a Mighty Morphin' Teen Titans video! I'm the flippin' Black Ranger, dude!

Raven: And for whatever ungodly reason, I'm yellow while Lack-of-Brains Boy gets my black.

Beast Boy: Hey! Like it's my fault the Black Ranger's a dude? Starfire was like, predestined for the Pink Ranger. Same with Robin the Red Ranger. Cyborg was obv for blue. That left one male, one female ranger. Elementary, my dear Watson.

Raven:… You stun me sometimes. You made logical sense AND quoted something I would never have though you even knew about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well...There has been a rather... interesting... occurrence. You've kept your animal DNA," He said. Everyone let out a laugh of relief. The doctor held his hand up.

"That's the normal part. Here's where it gets interesting. You've...kind of lost your disease, Garfield," The doctor said. Beast Boy was dumbfounded. His body had ridded itself of Sakutia? "Now, remember our concerns that your animal DNA might transfer to Starfire? Well...it seems that the Sakutia disease is what actually traveled through," He said.

Robin's face drained of color. "No...Oh, my God..." Robin muttered. The doctor shook his head.

"I wasn't done. Starfire isn't quite reacting to the virus as a human would. In fact, her body seems to have...absorbed it. It would seem that she has simply absorbed it into herself just like a human would any other nutrient. She's not shown any symptoms, and oddly enough she seems to be recovering at a heightened rate," He explained.

Everyone gave Beast Boy odd looks. "What? Don't look at me. I didn't know," Beast Boy shrugged.

"In other words, I do believe Garfield here has made a breakthrough in Tamaranian medicine," The doctor finished, looking and sounding slightly amused.

Everyone stood there, silently, mouths open as they absorbed what they had just heard. Finally, Robin spoke.

"Wait a minute. So you're telling me that the disease Beast Boy had actually has medicinal purposes for Tamaranians, and that he just simultaneously rid himself of it and given it to Starfire?" He summarized…

Two days later, Starfire was ready to leave the hospital. She was still somewhat fragile, but the Sakutia had helped her immensely. But throughout all the fuss over Starfire, there was something none of them had noticed but Beast Boy.

In fact, once they got back to the Tower he made a point of not being seen until the fifth day after he had saved Starfire. It wasn't hard, except for staying from Raven. The excuse he used for her was that he was just tired from everything and could use the alone time. That and frequent trips out of the Tower allowed him to keep to himself.

Finally, the day came. The day where everyone would notice what they had missed before. Beast Boy checked himself out and smiled. Putting on a blue T-shirt and some denim shorts, he went down for breakfast. Putting on a straight face, he walked into the kitchen.

"Morning, Be-" Robin's mouth dropped open, his fork falling to the floor. One by one, everyone looked up and utensils fell from hands.

He had blue eyes, and his blonde hair had grown to his tanned shoulders. He still had his animal-like ears, and his face still bore the same fun-loving grin.

"Beast Boy, you stole one of my damned rings. Give it," Cyborg demanded. Raven shook her head.

"No, he didn't. It's the Sakutia, isn't it Gar? And that's why your hair grew so quick... the growth was being suppressed..." She whispered.

Understanding dawned on Robin. "That disease...that's what made you green! I can't believe I didn't think of this before. You're...you!" He said, still looking his friend over.

"Wait. You're tellin' me that the grass stain isn't a grass stain any longer?" Cyborg said, shocked. Robin and Raven both nodded. "Then how am I supposed to make fun of him?" The half-man cried in desperation, earning a glare from Raven and a small laugh from Robin.

"Wow. As if The Face wasn't bad enough before," Robin muttered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

If you saw him as he made his way down the street to the movies, you wouldn't think he stood out. Well, except the ears. And if you were new in town and didn't know about the Titans, you wouldn't pinpoint him as anything more than a fun-loving kid.

Not like before.

A month earlier, you'd know he was odd even if you were new. Green skin, short darkish-green hair, emerald eyes and fangs. Same disposition. Same laugh. Same improvingly bad jokes. But definitely a sore thumb on the hand of Jump City's population.

But that was then. This is now.

He looked down at his tan hands with yet another feeling of elation. He was…_normal_. _Well, not entirely normal, _Garfield thought to himself. He still had pointy ears. He could still morph into any animal at will. He still had the enhanced senses of an animal. But most importantly, he had his friends. Speaking of whom…

Beast Boy tapped his foot, waiting outside the theater. He had gotten there early to get the concessions necessary for a Teen Titans movie experience. In other words, he was loaded down with 15 bags of popcorn (2 for himself, Terra, Robin, Cyborg and Raven. He had bought five for Starfire, because she tended to steal other's popcorn if she didn't have enough), 2 pouches of cookie dough bits, 4 Kit Kat bars, a bag of licorice, 8 Snickers bars (2 for Terra, 1 for Robin, one for Cyborg, and 4 for Starfire) and 6 sodas.

As agreed, everyone met up with Beast Boy at 6, fifteen minutes before the movie started. They had been invited to the early showing for a preview of an upcoming horror movie. Raven smiled as she got a hug from her boyfriend, and the others just shook their heads, blinking.

"It's gonna take a while to get used to see you looking normal," Cyborg said with a laugh. Suddenly, there was a flash as something blazed by them at lightning speed. Everyone tensed. Well, everyone except for the blur: Starfire. She lunged for the Snickers bar, devouring one and hugging Beast Boy.

"Thanks for…well…fulfilling my order," Starfire sad sheepishly. Everyone stared as she separated all of her concessions out.

"Uh…Starfire? I really do not want to have to roll you out of the theater," Robin said, only half-joking. Cyborg snorted.

"Robin, do you remember what happened the last time she ran out of popcorn at the movies? The…eh…ordeal?" He asked with an eyebrow cocked.

Flashback

"You know, these movies become much more enjoyable once you learn that the monsters are not real," Starfire said in a hushed tone. Robin nodded sullenly, having been screwed out of his seat next to Starfire because Beast Boy just _had _to be next to his Ravie-poo. And since Cyborg's metallic ass had planted itself firmly on Star's other side…Robin continued to pout

Suddenly he heard a gasp of dismay. Jerking up, he looked at the gasper. Star was looking down, horrified.

"I have run out of the popped corn!" She whispered. Robin laughed.

"It's alright, Star. Happens to everyone," The Boy Wonder shook his head with a smile and relaxed back, "accidentally" smack Cyborg with his elbow in the process. Suddenly, he heard "What the hell?!"

Cocking a brow, he sat up to find Starfire missing. "Oh, no," Robin muttered. Then he heard something even more frightening.

"Please, if you are going to be transferring the food you have, might I relieve of the rest?"

Cyborg had to put his head down, snorting desperately in his attempt not to burst out laughing. Beast was in similar straights, and even Raven couldn't keep a straight face.

Robin cocked his head. "Huh?" Then it clicked. "Oh. My. God," he moaned. Suddenly, he girlfriend appeared at his left side.

"Robin, I do believe I should leave. I think I've made a couple a few rows down angry," She said sheepishly. Robin looked down, and if looks could kill he might as well have stuck his head in a flamethrower. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Star…When two people are doing what you just saw, they aren't transferring food. It's like kissing, except…well…you saw," Robin blushed furiously, causing Cyborg to begin hyperventilating.

"Oh."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Robin closed his eyes as the unwanted memory played. With Cyborg snickering the entire way, they entered the theater. And exited about ten minutes later.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU DID THAT?!" Cyborg cried. The "horror movie" had turned out to be ten minutes of Jinx and Bumblebee modeling lingerie. Everyone was having a hearty laugh at the poor man's expense, knowing that it could have only been one person.

"That was for the 'How am I supposed to insult him?' remark," Beast Boy said with a smirk. Cyborg responded by forming his hand into a giant vulgar gesture, causing everyone to laugh all the more.

"Anyway… You ready, Gar?" Raven asked. They had actually planned on a date tonight. The prank had just been the way of getting into town.

"Yeah," Beast Boy said, still chuckling. The others drove away in the T-Car, wishing them a good night while Cyborg muttered various vulgarities and threats.

Raven and Beast Boy began to walk hand in hand towards the mall, speaking through emotions and expressions more than actual speech. Just another plus to being an Azarathian.

Finally, Beast Boy spoke up. "So…I've kinda been wondering something," He said, looking curiously at Raven.

Raven eyed him warily. "Yeah?" She asked, suspicious.

"Well…that one night, when you started singing in Azarathian. You said Zinthos means 'guardian,' right?" He responded.

"Er…yeah. Any particular reason?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow. Beast Boy nodded.

"Well, I kind've guessed that 'metrion' has to mean something else too. I wanted to know what your…mantra, I guess…means," He explained.

"Oh… Well, you're right. 'Metrion' in my language…" She bit her lip in thought. Finally, she spoke again.

"I think the best way I can put it to you is "summon." When I call out 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos,' roughly translated it would be 'Azarath, be my guardian,'" She said, nodding in satisfaction at her interpretation. Beast Boy considered.

"That's…interesting. I kind of wanted to know, because… I don't think you should trust your powers right now, Raven," He said seriously.

Raven furrowed her eyebrows and abruptly stopped. "What? Why?" She asked, slightly alarmed.

"Slade. I think he's responsible for those demons we saw at that concert. And… He knows you way too well not to know that you rely on Azarath for your powers. He…what if he corrupted your power, made it attack us? Or worse, turn on you?" He explained with worry filling his voice.

Raven cocked her head at the boy, seeing the obvious look of concern on his new, normal face. "Beast Boy, I know it's weird, but Slade's a-"

"Bullshit! Slade, a Teen Titan? My ass. He's going to betray us," Beast Boy burst out. Raven stepped back.

"Gar…I'm an empath. I can sense his emotions, even now. He feels guilt. Shame. Sadness. He's in pain right now, BB. I know it's hard, but he helped kill Trigon. Cut him some slack," Raven said gently, stroking the side of her boyfriend's cheek. He just sighed.

"If you say so…" He replied, still not satisfied.

They reached the mall and explored it. Beast Boy almost destroyed a antique vase, Raven mistakenly walked into the men's fitting rooms and caused a near-riot, and Beast Boy put a pushy DDR player in his place. Finally, after leaving their mark on the place, they made the journey back to the Tower they called home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they got there, they found Nevermore having a jam session. Raven smiled, dropping the bag of books she had bought on the ground and joining the band. Beast Boy hung back, telling her he was tired.

But he wasn't tired at all. He was determined to stop Slade. _Screw her empathy, _Beast Boy thought. He knew that something was wrong. He played along for the rest of the night, playing some video games with a still-miffed Cyborg and almost getting killed by Robin for stealing his outfit and doing impressions while the Boy Wonder was in the crime room.

Once everyone said their goodnights, Beast Boy looked around. He was not going to let Raven be surprised by Trigon's legacy and be hurt because of it. No, he was going to find Slade and see for himself was what going on. He gathered a few changes of clothes and some food. He re-entered his room with a purpose, all attention on his current mission.

He opened his window, gathered his things, hung them around his neck and morphed into a pterodactyl. He did not see the glowing green eyes that watched him soar off north.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He left his communicator here, Raven. He doesn't want to be found," Cyborg told her for the fiftieth time. Raven was still trying to track him mentally, and failing.

"Damn! He's blocking me out, too. Why did I teach him that? Damnit!" Raven cried, kicking the fridge. The result was Raven ripping her boot off and clutching at her poor pinky toe. Robin rubbed his forehead.

"Raven…I don't know what to tell you. I'm not gonna say I'm sure he's fine, because he's an idiot," Robin said crossly.

Starfire remained quiet. She knew where he was, and why he was gone. But…should she tell the others?

"Rob, Greeny Beanie's probably got a good explanation," Lily tried to comfort the boy Wonder.

"Lily, the last two times BB has gone missing without his communicator have been bad. First was with that incident with The Beast, and the second was Terra. Sorry," He added, looking at the blonde.

"It's alright. I know I screwed up. Just don't make any blonde jokes," She warned. No one laughed.

Terra sighed. "BB…" She muttered softly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, worry overtook Starfire. Looking at her window, she sighed. She didn't want to leave without warning, but at the same time… Her Tamaranian instincts told her that Beast Boy needed her, needed someone else.

"Oh…I am sorry, friends. I will be back…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beast Boy soared high above the Amazon rainforest. He had tracked Slade through many chats with villagers and some scent-tracking of his own. Now he scoped the area in falcon morph, searching, hunting. And unsuspecting, which was a mistake.

The falcon screeched as a burst of fire singed his left wing. He went down, unable to control his flight. Spitting mud, he quickly jumped up. He was surrounded by demons, led by several of the Church of Blood's members.

Morphing the T-Rex, he began to obliterate his challengers. Swinging his tail, slashing, biting, crushing, he fought. But he was losing, being outnumbered despite his size. "Ahhh!" He cried, finally morphing out to make himself a smaller target. In response to his thought, he was knocked onto his back. Demons surrounded him, looming over.

_So… this is how it ends? _The boy thought.


	12. Pursuing The Truth

-1

Beast Boy: Okay, here's a good one. A man walks into a bar, and there's a donkey in the back.

Raven: Uh…why the hell is there a donkey?

Beast Boy: There's a farm behind it. Anyway, the guy goes up to the bartender, who says that if he can make that donkey laugh its ass off, he'd give him 100

Raven: O…k…

Beast Boy: So the man goes in, and the donkey laughs its ass off. The man comes back, and the tender says he'll give the guy 500 if he makes the donkey cry its ass off.

Robin: Is it even possible for a donkey to laugh or cry?

Beast Boy: Yes, and I would know. Anyway, the man goes back, and the donkey cries its ass off. He comes back, and the tender tells him he'll give the guy 1000 if he tells the tender how he did-

Raven: BEAST BOY!! I've heard this one! Don't you dare finish it!

Robin: Er…why?

(Raven whispers in Robin's ear, whose eyes widen)

Robin: BEAST BOY!

Me: For anyone that's curious about the rest of the joke, tell me in a review where my PM box is and send me a message .

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He left his communicator here, Raven. He doesn't want to be found," Cyborg told her for the fiftieth time. Raven was still trying to track him mentally, and failing.

"Damn! He's blocking me out, too. Why did I teach him that? Damnit!" Raven cried, kicking the fridge. The result was Raven ripping her boot off and clutching at her poor pinky toe. Robin rubbed his forehead.

"Raven…I don't know what to tell you. I'm not gonna say I'm sure he's fine, because he's an idiot," Robin said crossly.

Starfire remained quiet. She knew where he was, and why he was gone. But…should she tell the others?

"Rob, Greeny Beanie's probably got a good explanation," Lily tried to comfort the boy Wonder.

"Lily, the last two times BB has gone missing without his communicator have been bad. First was with that incident with The Beast, and the second was Terra. Sorry," He added, looking at the blonde.

"It's alright. I know I screwed up. Just don't make any blonde jokes," She warned. No one laughed.

Terra sighed. "BB…" She muttered softly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, worry overtook Starfire. Looking at her window, she sighed. She didn't want to leave without warning, but at the same time… Her Tamaranian instincts told her that Beast Boy needed her, needed someone else.

"Oh…I am sorry, friends. I will be back…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beast Boy soared high above the Amazon rainforest. He had tracked Slade through many chats with villagers and some scent-tracking of his own. Now he scoped the area in falcon morph, searching, hunting. And unsuspecting, which was a mistake.

The falcon screeched as a burst of fire singed his left wing. He went down, unable to control his flight. Spitting mud, he quickly jumped up. He was surrounded by demons, led by several of the Church of Blood's members.

Morphing the T-Rex, he began to obliterate his challengers. Swinging his tail, slashing, biting, crushing, he fought. But he was losing, being outnumbered despite his size. "Ahhh!" He cried, finally morphing out to make himself a smaller target. In response to his thought, he was knocked onto his back. Demons surrounded him, looming over.

_So… this is how it ends? _The boy thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beast Boy rolled to dodge a swinging arm of flames and got back on his feet. Thinking and morphing fast, he changed into a jaguar and bolted for it, only to discover that demons are some fast little S.O.B's. He was outnumbered and wearing down quickly. _Raven…At least search for the truth. Let my death at least spur you on to that,_ Beast Boy thought bitterly as a demon knocked him into the mud.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"DAMN! No!" Robin was on his knees in tears, Raven clutching his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. And it wasn't working. Robin slammed the ground for the fifth time with his fist.

"They're both outside my scanning radius. I'm picking up nothing," Cyborg said sadly. Robin glared at him, obviously not liking the news. "Look, I don't like it either man. Just calling it as I see it." The cybernetic teen said, holding his hands in front of him in surrender.

"I know… I just can't believe it. Star and BB… both just gone without even saying goodbye. Wasn't I good enough to her?" Robin began crying again. Raven looked heavenward and muttered "Azar, give me strength and patience."

Then she spoke aloud. "Robin, you know damn good and well that she is in nigh-inseparable love with you. There_ has _to be a reason. And we _will _find them. And they most certainly will have some explaining to do," She added. Robin nodded his head with a weak smile.

"Thanks, Rae," He said, getting to his feet and gripping her in a short hug. She just smiled and nodded. _It's what I do, _She thought, a warm feeling rising in her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you have anything that you would like Raven to hear before you die, defiant one?" One of the leaders asked him. Beast Boy was pinned to the ground by multiple demons, despite his struggling.

"I-" He was interrupted.

BOOM.

Explosions ripped through the forest, heading in a straight course right at the scene of the battle. "What the hell?" Both demon and hero spoke the same question. Suddenly, the source of the explosions flew over head, blasting away the demons that held Beast Boy.

Immediately springing to his feet, he morphed a falcon and began to search for his savior.

"Beast Boy, run! I will catch up momentarily!" Beast Boy's tiny falcon eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat. _Is that…? No way… _He kept flying as instructed, and the explosions began to steadily fade away.

He had just reached high enough to get a good view for searching when he heard "You have quite a bit of explaining to do, friend," from his left side, causing him to almost drop from the sky.

He chose a safe place to land in, a fairly flat and open space. Demorphing, he looked in shock and amazement as Starfire landed gracefully in front of him, crossing her arms and giving him a half amused, half annoyed expression. _Oh, come on. Give me an angry face. Yell at me. Anything but the bust-balls look, _he thought to himself.

"Well….you see…I thought…" Starfire cocked and eyebrow and smirked, yes, _smirked _at him as he fumbled over an explanation.

"Raven shared with me your concerns, Beast Boy. She also told me that she thinks you were being paranoid. But I know you better, Garfield Mark Logan. You do not simply say things without some reason behind it. If you say that Slade is preparing to betray us, I believe it is worth investigating. Why did you not tell us, though?" She asked, cocking her head.

Beast Boy laughed. "Think about it, Starfire. Raven thinks I'm being paranoid. Robin's too ecstatic to have Slade finally on "our side" to even consider his betrayal. Cyborg would just brush me off," He concluded.

"And myself?" She asked. Beast Boy heard what sounded a lot like indigence in her voice.

"I…honestly, I thought you would just tell me that Slade is our friend now, and to give him a second chance," Beast Boy scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Starfire frowned.

"Contrary to some opinions, I do not always trust everyone completely. Just because I considered Slade a friend does not mean I didn't have my doubts," She said.

"Sorry…wait. You said 'considered.' As in past tense. You aren't calling him a friend anymore?" Beast Boy asked.

"Who else could have alerted those demons to your position?" Starfire said simply.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright everyone. We've got reports of a T-Rex spotted in the Amazon rainforests. I'm pretty sure we need to start there," Robin said over the T-Ship's intercom. Cyborg, Terra and Raven nodded.

"Man., Term, this thing's a piece of work," Liz remarked. Cyborg had created a copy of the T-Ship at Nevermore's insistence of following the Titans. They had dubbed it the NMR, short for Nevermore Rocker.

Raven frowned at the nickname "Term." She would have made a remark about it, had she not been so lost in thought about her boyfriend and best friend. _Why? I told him that all was well… Why didn't he trust me? And Starfire…I hope she's with Beast Boy. Damnit…_

"Raven?" She was shaken out of her reveire by Robin's voice. Startled, she sat upright.

"Yeah?" She replied.

"You ok? Because I just said that we're approaching the scene of Beast Boy's last known position, and you didn't even blink," Robin sounded concerned.

"Let's see. My boyfriend, the man that freed me from living a life bound by my father, the devil's curse, is gone with no trace of where he or why for sure why he left. As well, the first and only person that I even began to open up to in the first year that the Titans formed is missing as well. What do you think?!" She took a couple of deep breaths. "Sorry," She added.

"Raven, that's my girlfriend and best friend missing too. We've got to keep it together. We _will _find them. And I may inflict some bodily harm on Beast Boy if he doesn't have a sufficient explanation," Robin said, taking a stab at humor. No one laughed.

"Coming in for landing now. NMR to T-Ship, commencing final approach," Liz said as she lined the NMR up for the landing zone they'd picked out near the edge of the forest.

"Copy," Cyborg confirmed. NMR flew in, kicking up dust and dirt as it came to a rest. The T-Ship landed similarly, and everyone disembarked cautiously. Lily furrowed her brows.

"Well, if this Slop or whatever the hell his name is really has betrayed you, hell of a place to set up a base," Lily commented.

"It's Slade," Robin corrected, then added "and you're right. I think Beast Boy's chasing a ghost. And God help him if he put Star in danger because of it…" The Boy Wonder trailed off.

"I can't sense any of them. Slade, Beast Boy, Starfire, and of th- Ugh!" Raven was cut off by being knocked backwards. Everyone tensed and prepared themselves as demons surrounded them.

"Okay, I stand corrected," Robin said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, thanks for the save anyway. I was toast," Beast Boy said. Starfire simply smiled, an infuriatingly knowledgeable smile. She took off, Beast Boy following her in his falcon form.

_Well, at least I'm not alone now. Good to know that at least ONE other person trusted my instincts, _Beast Boy mentally rolled his eyes at an unseen Raven. Suddenly, a flash of movement caught his attention.

Starfire saw it as well. She looked to her friend for confirmation, and together they pursued the…whatever it was. "Damn! Whatever it is, it is certainly quite fast," Starfire said, causing Beast Boy to almost tumble from the sky.

_Did she seriously just say that? _He thought in amazement. He flew up, leaving his position from behind Starfire in order to get a better view. Catching another flash, he propelled himself downwards and tucked his wings to his side. Rocketing down, he raced past Starfire and came close to catching up with the hunted. Banking expertly between the trees, he was able to keep his position. Starfire, on the other hand, had to pull up in order to fly over the sudden maze.

Rather, she got a bead on Beast Boy and flew interference against…whatever might suddenly pop up, as was the tendency of these demons. Suddenly, the trees came to an end and opened into a flat, clear space, albeit a small one. But the momentary clearing was all the Tamaranian princess needed.

As the moving blur streaked through, Starfire caught the familiar flash of orange, silver and black. Her instincts told her to attack, but she realized quickly that doing such would hit her friend rather than the enemy. Instead, she opted for leading a few star bolts.

"HAAH!" She lifted a star bolt as large as her own body and launched it a fair distance ahead into the forest.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was having a tougher time navigating the trees as time took its toll on his wings. He pushed forward, though, narrowly missing his prey on several occasions. He passed the clearing and noted that his target had sped up, and therefore boosted his own speed accordingly. Then he heard a "HAAH!" Looking up in alarm, all he saw was a giant green, glowing sky before he blacked out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	13. You Shot Me!

-1Raven: Hm. I say we get back to the me rocking like a badass part of this thing.

Me: It will come, sheesh. Patience.

Beast Boy: Telling her to have patience is like telling Robin to dress fashionably. It just ain't gonna happen.

Robin and Raven: (Look at Beast Boy murderously)

Me: Beast Boy? Shut your mouth for all eternity.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, if this Slop or whatever the hell his name is really has betrayed you, hell of a place to set up a base," Lily commented.

"It's Slade," Robin corrected, then added "and you're right. I think Beast Boy's chasing a ghost. And God help him if he put Star in danger because of it…" The Boy Wonder trailed off.

"I can't sense any of them. Slade, Beast Boy, Starfire, and of th- Ugh!" Raven was cut off by being knocked backwards. Everyone tensed and prepared themselves as demons surrounded them.

"Okay, I stand corrected," Robin said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, thanks for the save anyway. I was toast," Beast Boy said. Starfire simply smiled, an infuriatingly knowledgeable smile. She took off, Beast Boy following her in his falcon form.

_Well, at least I'm not alone now. Good to know that at least ONE other person trusted my instincts, _Beast Boy mentally rolled his eyes at an unseen Raven. Suddenly, a flash of movement caught his attention.

Starfire saw it as well. She looked to her friend for confirmation, and together they pursued the…whatever it was. "Damn! Whatever it is, it is certainly quite fast," Starfire said, causing Beast Boy to almost tumble from the sky.

_Did she seriously just say that? _He thought in amazement. He flew up, leaving his position from behind Starfire in order to get a better view. Catching another flash, he propelled himself downwards and tucked his wings to his side. Rocketing down, he raced past Starfire and came close to catching up with the hunted. Banking expertly between the trees, he was able to keep his position. Starfire, on the other hand, had to pull up in order to fly over the sudden maze.

Rather, she got a bead on Beast Boy and flew interference against…whatever might suddenly pop up, as was the tendency of these demons. Suddenly, the trees came to an end and opened into a flat, clear space, albeit a small one. But the momentary clearing was all the Tamaranian princess needed.

As the moving blur streaked through, Starfire caught the familiar flash of orange, silver and black. Her instincts told her to attack, but she realized quickly that doing such would hit her friend rather than the enemy. Instead, she opted for leading a few star bolts.

"HAAH!" She lifted a star bolt as large as her own body and launched it a fair distance ahead into the forest.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was having a tougher time navigating the trees as time took its toll on his wings. He pushed forward, though, narrowly missing his prey on several occasions. He passed the clearing and noted that his target had sped up, and therefore boosted his own speed accordingly. Then he heard a "HAAH!" Looking up in alarm, all he saw was a giant green, glowing sky before he blacked out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That's right! Take your medicine, bitch!" Liz yelled at a Blood member who had just taken her bass guitar to the face. She was back to back with Robin, whose staff was serving a similar purpose, crashing through demons left and right.

"Hell yeah! This girl don't play!" Terra smirked as the dirt rose. It formed a giant middle finger, which then crashed down and obliterated a group of demons. Lily and Cyborg charged from the dust, taking out the remainder of the small army Terra had been facing.

"Hey operator, second floor!" Cyborg called up to Terra, who had flown up to get a better view of the battle"

"Comin' up!" Terra said with a nod. A staircase of stones rose up, ending at a large rocky platform. Cyborg landed on it and charged his cannon.

"Thanks," Cyborg said. Taking aim from his new vantage point, he let loose with a wave of cannon fire, eliminating a small group of demons that had been sneaking up on Charlie, who was busily taking names and kicking ass with his hands and feet.

"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" Raven yelled in fury. She was surrounded by Blood members. When she said this, they simply smirked.

Suddenly, her black energy bolted out from her hands and hit Terra, smashing the blonde girl into a nearby tree and making her cry out. Raven looked at her hands, horrified. Then she remembered.

_Don't use your powers…What if Slade corrupted them?_

Those were some of the last words she had heard from her boyfriend before he disappeared. Closing her eyes, she decided to heed his warning.

"Alright, here goes!" She told herself. Jumping up, she tried for a roundhouse. Although it sent two of the Bloods flying, it gave the other 6 an opening to close in. She landed in a fighting stance, but without a protective shield she had no way to clear herself for another attack,

She let out a gasp as she was hit hard in the gut. She fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath, but instead felt herself being dragged to her feet. One of the Bloods turned her around and punched her in the face, sending her flying into another one, who was waiting with a _real _roundhouse prepared for the off-balance empath. She was juggled from one to the other, beaten and bruised.

The first gasp of pain alerted no one but Terra. It took her a coupled minutes to locate it, but she knew that whoever had made it was in deep trouble. Her eyes searched wildly, finally resting upon Raven and her attackers. Her eyes glowed with a yellow rage.

"Six on one?! Let's make this a fair fight!" Terra yelled, furious. The Bloods looked up just in time to see six stone spikes pierce their skulls. Their limp bodies flew with the impact, hit a wall and disappeared as they had done at the concert.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Raven!" Terra cried, running over to the girl. "Damn!" She swore, seeing the cuts and bruises. "Let's get you out of here.." She whispered.. Conjuring up a rock, the empath and geocentric flew out into the forest. Landing, Terra looked around quickly.

"There we go!" Terra smiled as she a couple of plants. She had, from her days as a backpacker, learned a lot of herbal treatments. Using her powers to conjur two smaller stones, she laid some of the leaves on one and crushed them into a powder with the other. She soaked the remaining leaves in a nearby small stream, and ground them into a sort of pulp.

"Here…" Terra said, not knowing whether Raven was even conscious. Taking the pulp, she spred it on the major cuts and lacerations. She knew from experience that the stuff was pretty much liquid bandage. She shook the powder over Raven's forehead, assuaging the headache that she knew was going to come with her friend's return to reality. Speaking of which…

"Uh…wha? Where the hell…? Terra?" Raven sat up and immediately regretted it. Terra gently but firmly pushed her back down. "What happened?" Raven asked, still some fuzzy.

"You took it pretty bad from those Blood dudes. Once I saw you, I gave them a headache they'll never forget and got you away from the fight. You need rest. I'll call the others in a bit and tell them what's happening, unless they call us first. Anyway, I've got some makeshift band-aids on you. How's your head feel?" Terra added.

Raven was remembering now. "For being tossed around and beaten like a rag doll? Not too bad, actually. And what do you mean, makeshit band-aids? I don't see anything," Raven quirked an eyebrow, eyeing her wounds.

"You think I survived backpacking without learning a few nature tricks? This," She said, holding up the remains of the plant,"is highly medicinal. When powdered, it can reduce a headache. Introduced to liquid, it can be mashed into a liquid bandage of sorts, keeping wounds from getting infected. Whenever I saw these little buggers, I'd get as much as I could of it in my sack before I met you guys," She explained. Now both of Raven's eyebrows were raised.

"Wow. Didn't know we had a walking National Geograpic around here," She commented with a grateful smile. Terra just laughed and nodded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Starfire stared, mortified, at her friend on the ground. Her target had sped up, and she had hit the wrong person with a whole lot of Tamaranian star bolt. She was blushing madly, waiting anxiously for him to awaken.

"…The hell happened?" Beast Boy said groggily as he sat up. Then the remembered: The chase, speeding up, and a bright green light. He pieced this together and looked at Starfire with a look that clearly read "Did you just shoot me?!"

Starfire blushed further and stared at her feet. "Starfire, I cannot believe you freakin' shot me! I know it was an accident, but… you shot me!" He complained.

"I…I am terribly sorry, Beast Boy. I did not realize that the chase had increased in speed," She explained, embarrassed. Beast Boy sighed.

"It's alright. Well, we lost Slade. Guess we better get back in the air and- wait, what was that?" Beast Boy stopped suddenly. Starfire looked, confused.

"What was what? I did not see or hear anything abnormal…" Starfire trailed off.

Beast Boy sniffed the air. "Blood. And…Victoria's Secret lavender? And a touch of apple… animal senses," he explained to Starfire. Beast Boy morphed a bloodhound and began following the trail. Starfire followed, unsure of what Beast Boy was tracking now.

However, it soon became clear. "Raven!" Beast Boy whispered to Starfire.

"And Terra," Starfire added as they ran. Finally, they reached vocal distance.

"RAVEN! TERRA!" Beast Boy shouted. Terra's head shot up, looking for the source of the yell. It didn't take long for her to sort out the Tamaranian and shape shifter. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, you two better have a damn good reason for dragging us out here," Terra warned. The look on Raven's face seconded that motion. Beast Boy, however, was too busy growing stone cold to hear.

"Who…did…this…to…her…" He snarled. Terra winced.

"Beast Boy, don't be rash. It was those Blood guys. The others are still figh-" And that was the last word she spoke to him before he tore off, following his senses to lead him to the battle. "Why do I even bother…" Terra sighed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Robin used one of the Blood's bodies as a springboard, jumping from its mass and performing a frontal flip kick targeted at two others. "Where are these guys coming from?" He wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but I do know that this needs to end quick. We're starting to wear out," Liz yelled over the commotion of her own battle. She swung her bass guitar again, only to have it caught by a Blood member. Using her own weapon against her, the demon spun her around and released the guitar, sending the girl sprawling. The Blood moved to finish her, but was instead blown into the mud by sonic cannon fire.

"Thanks, Term," Liz said with a smile and Cyborg helped her up. Cyborg smiled back, nodded, and jumped over to help Robin out.

Almost as soon as he did, though, all of the demons seemed to freeze, as if wary of a nearby threat. Everyone looked at one another, shrugged, and made their moves to take advantage of the momentary lapse in action. They were stopped, however, by movement in the trees bordering the battlefield.

Beast Boy growled furiously as he leapt gracefully onto the scene as a tiger. The Blood members looked at the creature for a moment, then returned to the battle as they defended themselves from the fresh onslaught. Beast Boy would have none of that though. He let loose with a mighty roar, freezing Blood and Titan alike in their tracks. Giving a bloodthirsty look at the Titans, he pounced.

"Beast Boy?" He heard his name called and didn't care as he tore into the arteries in the neck of the first Blood he saw. He jumped from demon to demon, piercing flesh, vein and bone with his claws and teeth. Black blood flew and settled itself into Beast Boy's orange fur.

It was over in a flurry of blood and claws and roars. Beast Boy stood, human again, in the midst of disappearing demon bodies with a small trail of black blood running from the corner of his mouth. Everyone stood there, gaping, wide-eyed. Finally, Beast Boy used his tongue to remove the blood from his face and, with one final show of his feral side, said "Ah, that's better."

Lily was the first to speak. "Well, it's good to see you too," She said dryly. Beast Boy let out a weak laugh as the adrenaline drained from him and the reality of his actions set in. Robin opened his mouth, shut it, repeated this twice, and finally spit it out.

"Beast Boy, what the hell's going on? First you go missing without any notification nor any reason. Then Starfire goes mis-" He stopped mid-sentence as the object of said sentence floated from above the trees.

"Starfire!" Robin cried in relief. The alien looked down with a huge smile, diving down to accept the embrace Robin offered. After a moment, they let go.

"Alright, back to my point: What the hell's going on? First you and Starfire disappear, worrying us all sick." Starfire looked down at her feet as Robin said that. "Then you take a jaunt to the Amazon rainforests. Now we follow you and find a bunch of Church of Blood members that assault us, saved only by a particularly bloodthirsty Beast Boy. Oh," He added, noting the disappearance of Raven and Terra, "and two of my team are missing. Again. Explain," Robin demanded.

Beast Boy growled at Robin's tone, causing the Boy Wonder to take an involuntary step backwards. The shape shifter knew that Robin would try to give him the same "It's okay," routine that his girfriend had given him. He regarded Robin for a moment, finally saying, "You wouldn't believe me anyway."

Robin's eyebrows melded with his hairline in shock. Never before had Beast Boy been so disrespectful to the Titan's leader. "Try me," Robin challenged.

Beast Boy snorted. "Okay, fine. Slade is a two faced bastard, and he's released the Church of Blood to take Raven for his own purposes. I'm guessing he can either take Raven's powers for his own, or worse yet, take control of her. Or, even worse, he may well be able to torture or otherwise eliminate her human side, allowing her demonic side to overtake her. You have any idea what she would turn into? She would be daddy's little girl," He spat. Taking a breath, be continued.

"You guys wouldn't have believed me anyway. Raven had already disregarded my concerns, Cyborg would have just blamed on my imagination, Terra would have thought I was joking, and you're too wrapped up in the fact that you supposedly 'stopped' Slade's evil to believe that he double crossed you," The changeling pointed his finger at Robin. All of them looked guiltily at the ground, knowing that Beast Boy had pegged them.

"And Starfire was the only one that would believe you, huh? And you didn't tell her…why?" Robin challenged him again.

"Because I didn't want exactly what happened to happen. She knew that I was going after Slade, just like she would have if I had voiced my thoughts to her. Figures that she'd catch me," Beast Boy shook his head.

Robin stared at him. "Are you telling me that you flew off, worried all of us, and meant to or not dragged Starfire with you into danger, on a HUNCH?!" He screamed. But he screamed at nothing. Beast Boy had already morphed and flown away to find Raven and Terra.

Robin shook with fury. "Yo, chill man. Beast Boy doesn't just go flying off for nothing. Maybe he's right," Cyborg told him. Robin spun around, jerking away from the hand his friend had laid on his shoulder and giving him a venomous look.

"Robin, I have witnessed Slade. We were chasing him when..well…," She looked down, embarrassed.

"Spit it out, Star," Lily said impatienty.

"Well, I got ahead of the chase, and threw one of my larger star bolts down where I thought Slade would be. I..miscalculated. The chase had sped up, and I idadverntantely shot friend Beast Boy," She said, blushing furiously. Everyone turned away to hide their face, none being able to keep a straight one.

"Good. He deserved it. Come on. Let's find them others and head back. Starfire, Slade dresses in predominately black and orange. You were probably chasing some innocent tiger," Robin reasoned. Starfire gave him a look full of shock.

"You aren't even going to consider the possibility that he has crossed us twice?" She asked. He shook his head.

"No. He has no basis, except that a couple demons showed up at a concert. Anyone could have released them. If Beast Boy had concerns, he should have come to us," Robin said shortly, walking towards the T-Ship. "I'm using the T-Ship's radar to find the others. We'll drop by, pick them up, and go home." He said, sounding as though giving an order.

"I just hope their okay…" Liz whispered.


	14. Walking Away

-1"Alright, back to my point: What the hell's going on? First you and Starfire disappear, worrying us all sick." Starfire looked down at her feet as Robin said that. "Then you take a jaunt to the Amazon rainforests. Now we follow you and find a bunch of Church of Blood members that assault us, saved only by a particularly bloodthirsty Beast Boy. Oh," He added, noting the disappearance of Raven and Terra, "and two of my team are missing. Again. Explain," Robin demanded.

Beast Boy growled at Robin's tone, causing the Boy Wonder to take an involuntary step backwards. The shape shifter knew that Robin would try to give him the same "It's okay," routine that his girfriend had given him. He regarded Robin for a moment, finally saying, "You wouldn't believe me anyway."

Robin's eyebrows melded with his hairline in shock. Never before had Beast Boy been so disrespectful to the Titan's leader. "Try me," Robin challenged.

Beast Boy snorted. "Okay, fine. Slade is a two faced bastard, and he's released the Church of Blood to take Raven for his own purposes. I'm guessing he can either take Raven's powers for his own, or worse yet, take control of her. Or, even worse, he may well be able to torture or otherwise eliminate her human side, allowing her demonic side to overtake her. You have any idea what she would turn into? She would be daddy's little girl," He spat.

Taking a breath, be continued.

"You guys wouldn't have believed me anyway. Raven had already disregarded my concerns, Cyborg would have just blamed on my imagination, Terra would have thought I was joking, and you're too wrapped up in the fact that you supposedly 'stopped' Slade's evil to believe that he double crossed you," The changeling pointed his finger at Robin. All of them looked guiltily at the ground, knowing that Beast Boy had pegged them.

"And Starfire was the only one that would believe you, huh? And you didn't tell her…why?" Robin challenged him again.

"Because I didn't want exactly what happened to happen. She knew that I was going after Slade, just like she would have if I had voiced my thoughts to her. Figures that she'd catch me," Beast Boy shook his head.

Robin stared at him. "Are you telling me that you flew off, worried all of us, and meant to or not dragged Starfire with you into danger, on a HUNCH?!" He screamed. But he screamed at nothing. Beast Boy had already morphed and flown away to find Raven and Terra.

Robin shook with fury. "Yo, chill man. Beast Boy doesn't just go flying off for nothing. Maybe he's right," Cyborg told him. Robin spun around, jerking away from the hand his friend had laid on his shoulder and giving him a venomous look.

"Robin, I have witnessed Slade. We were chasing him when..well…," She looked down, embarrassed.

"Spit it out, Star," Lily said impatienty.

"Well, I got ahead of the chase, and threw one of my larger star bolts down where I thought Slade would be. I..miscalculated. The chase had sped up, and I idadverntantely shot friend Beast Boy," She said, blushing furiously. Everyone turned away to hide their face, none being able to keep a straight one.

"Good. He deserved it. Come on. Let's find them others and head back. Starfire, Slade dresses in predominately black and orange. You were probably chasing some innocent tiger," Robin reasoned. Starfire gave him a look full of shock.

"You aren't even going to consider the possibility that he has crossed us twice?" She asked. He shook his head.

"No. He has no basis, except that a couple demons showed up at a concert. Anyone could have released them. If Beast Boy had concerns, he should have come to us," Robin said shortly, walking towards the T-Ship. "I'm using the T-Ship's radar to find the others. We'll drop by, pick them up, and go home." He said, sounding as though giving an order.

"I just hope their okay…" Liz whispered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beast Boy flew, not taking long to find his friends. Landing gracefully, the two girls looked at him, eyes wide. "Beast Boy, why is their blood on your mouth?" Terra asked.

"Yeah, and why can I smell it on your breath?" Raven added, shuddering. Beast Boy looked away, unable to face her.

"I…kind've had some snacks on those demon's throats. My primal side, remember? I got so fucking furious at what they did to you, and… I couldn't control it. I went tiger and slaughtered them," Beast Boy said, ashamed.

Raven laughed. "Well, as long as you used a fork and knife," She said sarcastically, This brought a laugh from all of them. Then she got serious. "Where are the others?" Then, in response to the furious look on her boyfriend's face, "Did Robin say something?"

"I guess you could say that," He said. In response to the cocked heads, he explained. "He asked me what was going on. I told him he wouldn't believe nor listen to me. He challenged me don it, so I told him. Told him that I believe Slade betrayed us and fucked with you. Your powers, right Raven,?" He looked at her. She nodded.

"My powers attacked Terra when I tried to use them. I left myself open to attack, and, yeah," She said, gesturing to her injuries. Beast Boy nodded.

And with that, the T-Ship made itself known, hovering close and kicking up dust as it opened the doors. Terra flew Raven up with herself into the formers compartment, while Beast Boy morphed and flew into his own. "Alright everyone, we're returning to the Tower," Robin informed everyone over the intercom. No one protested, and so the T-Ship flew off, the NMR following closely.

When the T-Ship and NMR docked in the landing bay, the band said good-bye to the Titans and headed off for their various homes. Once they left, Robin spoke. "Okay, Terra will take Raven to the med bay. Cyborg, go with her and get Raven set up, then I want both of you in the common room. Go," He ordered. Both of them looked at him in surprise before complying.

Once they were gone, he turned to the others. "You guys, common room, now," He practically barked. "What is with him?" Starfire asked softly as the group followed their leader out of the bay and around the hallways, finally reaching the common room doors. Robin opened them, and the others shrugged as they settled into seats on the couch. Then, Robin exploded.

"Beast Boy, what the HELL were you thinking?! Not only did you put yourself in potentially fatal danger, you disregarded us completely and you could have gotten Starfire killed too! What the HELL is wrong with you?!" He yelled, glaring furiously at Beast Boy.

"Oh, so I" Beast Boy didn't get a third word in; it was drowned out by Robin.

"Oh yeah! That's what it was! You had a HUNCH that Slade somehow released the Church of Blood, evidenced by precisely ONE encounter! Forget coming to your friends, huh? Forget about asking us to delve a bit further. Oh, God knows, Beast Boy is the only one that can save his little Raviekins, right?! And too bad if someone else gets killed in the process!" He continued, breathing heavily now.

"Robin! Stop this!" Starfire cried. _This is not at all like him! What in Xhal's name…? _ She thought desperately.

Robin wasn't done. "Who the hell do you think you are?! I lead this team. If ANYONE should have decided to investigate, it would have been me. YOU don't lead this damn team. But yet you still have the nerve to just take your teammates and throw them in danger's way just so you can find out whether your hunch is right?! Starfire could have been KILLED, you bastard!" Robin roared. It was at that moment that Terra and Cyborg joined in. It was at that moment that everyone, including Beast Boy, gasped.

It couldn't be. They must have misheard, they all reasoned. "Robin, I am told that 'bastard' is a very bad name to call someone. I assume you were unaware of this?" Starfire asked dangerously. Robin took a few breaths and looked at his girlfriend.

"Yes, I'm perfectly aware, Starfire. He put you in mortal danger for no reason. He disrespected all of us by simply assuming that we were untrustworthy. All he's concerned about is making himself feel better about Raven. I think I'm slightly justified," He told her. Her jaw dropped.

"Robin, I followed of my own accord. I merely wished to protect him. He saved my life, gave a potentially fatal sacrifice. I owed him that much," She said quietly.

'If he hadn't jumped to false conclusions, he wouldn't have led you with him. See my point? He started all of this. You want to know why we got attacked? Because the Church knew we weren't expecting them! They surprised us, and the only reason we escaped alive was that Beast Boy finally used a little of that whatever the hell color it is matter!" Robin said. He turned to Beast Boy

"Beast Boy, I don't know why you didn't trust us, or why you did what you did. But what I DO know is that I cannot have someone who distrusts and endangers us on my team. I'll find you a temporary apartment and pay rent and utilities on it until you get on your feet. I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but you're a danger to the team."

Beast Boy was stunned, as was everyone else. He turned to the others.

"Robin, you're tired from the battle and you're mad because you were concerned for Starfire. Take a bit, rest, eat, and we'll forget this entire thing every happened, alright man?" Cyborg said. Robin shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm tired. Yes, I was worried about Starfire. But what Beast Boy did was unacceptable, Cyborg. He had no evidence of any wrongdoing on Slade's part. In other words, he did what a villain would do: trick us into putting ourselves into unnecessary danger," Robin finished.

Everyone blinked, unable to accept Robin's verdict. Suddenly, Beast Boy laughed. And continued to laugh. Everyone looked at him like he'd gone nuts, until he finally regained composure.

"Robin, you can't kick me off of this team. Know why? Because no one wants me gone, save you. Think about it. 6 votes against 1. You either drop the subject, or if you don't like it _you _can leave. I'd prefer you drop it. I don't want to see you go. But if you're going to persist…" Beast Boy explained.

"Fine. Goodbye," Robin said shortly, walking out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Raven woke up to shouts. "What the hell?" She murmured. She listened, being careful to be quiet.

"…false conclusions, he wouldn't have led you with him. See my point? He started all of this. You want to know why we got attacked? Because the Church knew we weren't expecting them! They surprised us, and the only reason we escaped alive was that Beast Boy finally used a little of that whatever the hell color it is matter!"

"Whoa! Robin! What in Azar's name…?" Raven said. She listened to the rest of the "conversation," horrified. "No…" She whispered once Robin had said "Goodbye."

Soon after, Beast Boy came to check on her. He had barely gotten within reaching distance of his girlfriend when she grabbed his hand and pulled him close.

"He…left?" Raven asked. He nodded. "For real?" He nodded again. "Oh, God… He won't be there to see me play at my regionals… He won't be here for anything…" Raven began to cry. Beast Boy just held her.

"It's going to work out. I think we decided to appoint Cyborg leader for now. I don't know what's wrong with Robin, or if he'll by some terrible chance stay gone. But even if he does, we are still the Teen Titans. We will _always _have each other, just like you will _always _have me," He said quietly, soothingly. Slowly, she calmed down, hiccupping occasionally.

"Sta-arfir-ire…is sh-he al-lri-ight?" She managed out. He sighed.

"She's crying her eyes out right now. Cyborg and Terra gave up half an hour ago. I think she'll be okay, once she gets over the initial shock," He told her. She nodded.

"How are they holding up?" Raven asked. Beast Boy sighed again.

"Cyborg's playing Mega Monkeys 5 compulsively and Terra's sort of moping. I haven't contacted Nevermore yet, by the way," He added. She nodded.

"Terra really knows her stuff about herbs," Raven said with a slight smile. Beast Boy laughed.

"Yeah, those bandages look like they did their job. Your cuts stayed uninfected. Anyway… How are you feeling? Aside from Dick leaving," He added. Raven rolled her eyes, knowing that Beast Boy had used Robin's real name as an excuse to call him "dick."

"I'll be alright. It'll probably take me a few days to meditate myself up to full strength, but the point is that I will be able to return to usual," She said. Beast Boy nodded. "Alright Gar, you better go and see what you can do for the team. Go for it," Raven told him, gently shooing him away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I cannot believe Robin could be such an ass!" Cyborg said, barely containing himself as Beast Boy entered the common room. Terra sat on the edge of the couch, looking sullen as she noted Beast Boy's presence with a wave. A Gamestation controller lay in a small crater on the floor, the end result of Cyborg finally snapping over Robin's actions. Starfire was nowhere to be found.

"Guys, I'm so-" Cyborg didn't even let him get his second word in.

"Don't you _dare _apologize. You did what you felt was best for Raven. For all of us. Embarrassing as it is to admit, you pegged our reactions perfectly. None of us would have truly taken you seriously except Starfire," Cyborg told his friend.

"Yeah, BB. I understand you not wanting to tell her, since your blood in her veins is what saved her life. You didn't want to risk her getting hurt," Terra added. Beast Boy nodded.

"Guilty as charged on both accounts. Still… I feel like I played a part in this. Kind of like when a friend of yours does something wrong and you get them in trouble for it. You didn't do anything wrong, but someone else close to you suffered because of your actions, y'know?" Beast Boy said. They both nodded.

Suddenly, their on-screen phone rang. Cyborg answered it. "Identify yourself, please," He asked.

"My name is Bruce Wayne. You may know me better as Batman. I would like to speak with the Teen Titans," the voice said. Cyborg's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Alright, call accepted," Cyborg confirmed, hitting a few keys. Batman appeared on the monitor. "So…what's up?" Cyborg asked.


	15. Time Flies

-1Robin: Wow. I have suddenly become an asshole. Interesting twist.

Me: It's my job.

Raven. Indeed.

"Beast Boy, what the HELL were you thinking?! Not only did you put yourself in potentially fatal danger, you disregarded us completely and you could have gotten Starfire killed too! What the HELL is wrong with you?!" He yelled, glaring furiously at Beast Boy.

"Oh, so I" Beast Boy didn't get a third word in; it was drowned out by Robin.

"Oh yeah! That's what it was! You had a HUNCH that Slade somehow released the Church of Blood, evidenced by precisely ONE encounter! Forget coming to your friends, huh? Forget about asking us to delve a bit further. Oh, God knows, Beast Boy is the only one that can save his little Raviekins, right?! And too bad if someone else gets killed in the process!" He continued, breathing heavily now.

"Robin! Stop this!" Starfire cried. _This is not at all like him! What in Xhal's name…? _She thought desperately.

Robin wasn't done. "Who the hell do you think you are?! I lead this team. If ANYONE should have decided to investigate, it would have been me. YOU don't lead this damn team. But yet you still have the nerve to just take your teammates and throw them in danger's way just so you can find out whether your hunch is right?! Starfire could have been KILLED, you bastard!" Robin roared. It was at that moment that Terra and Cyborg joined in. It was at that moment that everyone, including Beast Boy, gasped.

It couldn't be. They must have misheard, they all reasoned.

"Robin, I am told that 'bastard' is a very bad name to call someone. I assume you were unaware of this?" Starfire asked dangerously. Robin took a few breaths and looked at his girlfriend.

"Yes, I'm perfectly aware, Starfire. He put you in mortal danger for no reason. He disrespected all of us by simply assuming that we were untrustworthy. All he's concerned about is making himself feel better about Raven. I think I'm slightly justified," He told her. Her jaw dropped.

"Robin, I followed of my own accord. I merely wished to protect him. He saved my life, gave a potentially fatal sacrifice. I owed him that much," She said quietly.

'If he hadn't jumped to false conclusions, he wouldn't have led you with him. See my point? He started all of this. You want to know why we got attacked? Because the Church knew we weren't expecting them! They surprised us, and the only reason we escaped alive was that Beast Boy finally used a little of that whatever the hell color it is matter!" Robin said. He turned to Beast Boy

"Beast Boy, I don't know why you didn't trust us, or why you did what you did. But what I DO know is that I cannot have someone who distrusts and endangers us on my team. I'll find you a temporary apartment and pay rent and utilities on it until you get on your feet. I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but you're a danger to the team."

Beast Boy was stunned, as was everyone else. He turned to the others.

"Robin, you're tired from the battle and you're mad because you were concerned for Starfire. Take a bit, rest, eat, and we'll forget this entire thing every happened, alright man?" Cyborg said. Robin shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm tired. Yes, I was worried about Starfire. But what Beast Boy did was unacceptable, Cyborg. He had no evidence of any wrongdoing on Slade's part. In other words, he did what a villain would do: trick us into putting ourselves into unnecessary danger," Robin finished.

Everyone blinked, unable to accept Robin's verdict. Suddenly, Beast Boy laughed. And continued to laugh. Everyone looked at him like he'd gone nuts, until he finally regained composure.

"Robin, you can't kick me off of this team. Know why? Because no one wants me gone, save you. Think about it. 6 votes against 1. You either drop the subject, or if you don't like it _you _can leave. I'd prefer you drop it. I don't want to see you go. But if you're going to persist…" Beast Boy explained.

"Fine. Goodbye," Robin said shortly, walking out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Raven woke up to shouts. "What the hell?" She murmured. She listened, being careful to be quiet.

"…false conclusions, he wouldn't have led you with him. See my point? He started all of this. You want to know why we got attacked? Because the Church knew we weren't expecting them! They surprised us, and the only reason we escaped alive was that Beast Boy finally used a little of that whatever the hell color it is matter!"

"Whoa! Robin! What in Azar's name…?" Raven said. She listened to the rest of the "conversation," horrified. "No…" She whispered once Robin had said "Goodbye."

Soon after, Beast Boy came to check on her. He had barely gotten within reaching distance of his girlfriend when she grabbed his hand and pulled him close.

"He…left?" Raven asked. He nodded. "For real?" He nodded again. "Oh, God… He won't be there to see me play at my regionals… He won't be here for anything…" Raven began to cry. Beast Boy just held her.

"It's going to work out. I think we decided to appoint Cyborg leader for now. I don't know what's wrong with Robin, or if he'll by some terrible chance stay gone. But even if he does, we are still the Teen Titans. We will _always _have each other, just like you will _always _have me," He said quietly, soothingly. Slowly, she calmed down, hiccupping occasionally.

"Sta-arfir-ire…is sh-he al-lri-ight?" She managed out. He sighed.

"She's crying her eyes out right now. Cyborg and Terra gave up half an hour ago. I think she'll be okay, once she gets over the initial shock," He told her. She nodded.

"How are they holding up?" Raven asked. Beast Boy sighed again.

"Cyborg's playing Mega Monkeys 5 compulsively and Terra's sort of moping. I haven't contacted Nevermore yet, by the way," He added. She nodded.

"Terra really knows her stuff about herbs," Raven said with a slight smile. Beast Boy laughed.

"Yeah, those bandages look like they did their job. Your cuts stayed uninfected. Anyway… How are you feeling? Aside from Dick leaving," He added. Raven rolled her eyes, knowing that Beast Boy had used Robin's real name as an excuse to call him "dick."

"I'll be alright. It'll probably take me a few days to meditate myself up to full strength, but the point is that I will be able to return to usual," She said. Beast Boy nodded. "Alright Gar, you better go and see what you can do for the team. Go for it," Raven told him, gently shooing him away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I cannot believe Robin could be such an ass!" Cyborg said, barely containing himself as Beast Boy entered the common room. Terra sat on the edge of the couch, looking sullen as she noted Beast Boy's presence with a wave. A Gamestation controller lay in a small crater on the floor, the end result of Cyborg finally snapping over Robin's actions. Starfire was nowhere to be found.

"Guys, I'm so-" Cyborg didn't even let him get his second word in.

"Don't you _dare _apologize. You did what you felt was best for Raven. For all of us. Embarrassing as it is to admit, you pegged our reactions perfectly. None of us would have truly taken you seriously except Starfire," Cyborg told his friend.

"Yeah, BB. I understand you not wanting to tell her, since your blood in her veins is what saved her life. You didn't want to risk her getting hurt," Terra added. Beast Boy nodded.

"Guilty as charged on both accounts. Still… I feel like I played a part in this. Kind of like when a friend of yours does something wrong and you get them in trouble for it. You didn't do anything wrong, but someone else close to you suffered because of your actions, y'know?" Beast Boy said. They both nodded.

Suddenly, their on-screen phone rang. Cyborg answered it. "Identify yourself, please," He asked.

"My name is Bruce Wayne. You may know me better as Batman. I would like to speak with the Teen Titans," the voice said. Cyborg's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Alright, call accepted," Cyborg confirmed, hitting a few keys. Batman appeared on the monitor. "So…what's up?" Cyborg asked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Batman frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't think I know who you are? Robin hasn't contacted me since going solo. I've called because I heard reports of Robin leaving Jump City," He explained.

"Wow. He hasn't spoken to you in that long? Well, in that case, my name is Victor Stone. The Titans know me as Cyborg. Pretty obvious reasons," Cyborg introduced himself.

"I see. And the rest of you?" Batman inquired.

"I'm Garfield Mark Logan, otherwise known as Beast Boy," Garfield said. He morphed a falcon, then a lion, then a raptor to show off his abilities.

"Impressive." Batman noted.

"I'm Terra. I'm a geokinetic," Terra said. When Batman gave her a confused look, she explained. "Geokinetic means that I can control anything that can be considered Earth based. Rocks, sands, mud, that sort of thing."

"Ah. Is that all?" Batman inquired.

"No. Two of us aren't able to be here at the moment. Starfire is an alien from the planet Tamaran. She is, or rather, was, Robin's girlfriend. She shoots what she calls 'star bolts' from her hands and eyes," Beast Boy answered. Taking a breath, he continued.

"And finally, Raven Roth is a girl from the dimension of Azarath. She was created by Trigon, the incarnation of all evil, to destroy the world. We've fought him twice, and our more recent battle saw his destruction. Her powers are emotionally based, and she is capable of doing some extreme damage," He finished with a laugh.

"Well. Quite the fighting force you Teen Titans have. So, on to the purpose of this call. Do any of you have any explanation for Robin's sudden leave?" Batman asked.

Everyone looked away momentarily before Beast Boy spoke up.

"Okay, when we recently fought Trigon we wound up joining forces with one of our worst enemies, a guy named Slade," He began.

"Slade…I believe I've heard that name before. If memory serves, he was once a small-time villain in Gotham City. Interesting. Anyway, continue," Batman invited.

Beast Boy was surprised at this tidbit of information. _Slade started in Gotham? Hmm…_ "Well, in the end, we defeated Trigon. Afterwards, Robin offered Slade membership to the Titans, saying that since Slade had helped us out so much that he deserved a second chance. Slade accepted."

He couldn't suppress a small growl before he continued, explaining and relating the entire series of events. As he spoke, the others added bits and pieces where necessary.

"…and just now, Robin walked out on us," Beast Boy finished sullenly. Batman's face betrayed shock.

"Well…I'm surprised. Dick usually doesn't get so angry. Regardless, I've heard reports that he's heading to Steel City. If you want to catch up and try to talk some sense into him, that's where you'll find him. As well, if you need any help in the matter of Slade, feel free to ask myself or any of the other Justice League members," Batman added. Then he closed the connection.

"Steel City? Alright, let's go. We have to hur-" Beast Boy stopped Cyborg in his tracks and shook his head.

"Robin will have to come to terms with his decision on his own. No amount of cajoling or talking is going to make him come back. It has to be his own decision. Wait, am I being insightful?" Beast Boy cocked his head, getting a laugh out of everyone. Even Starfire, who was greatly comforted by her friend's words.

**Two months later.**

All was calm in Jump City. Mad Mod had tried his hand at turning all of the citizens of the city into brainwashed British soldiers, but the Titans had squashed that plan. The H.I.V.E Five had only struck twice. And Mumbo Jumbo had attempted to overpower the city with an army of rabbits. Raven was all over that plan.

Nevermore had become part of Jump City's honorary Titans. They continued to practice regularly at the Tower in preparation for the regional battle that was to come. Currently, the event was one week away. Everyone was psyched, and all of Jump City was supporting them.

And there was still no sign of the Boy Wonder. The Titans had accepted that he had made his decision. They had not heard from Slade nor the demons that were believed to be his. But they knew that the demons weren't gone, so they kept a careful eye out.

"Well, we've waited a while for this, huh? Made it through the locals, regionals, and now we're going to Cally to see who's gonna be representing the U.S.A in the wordwide Battle. Exciting, huh?" Beast Boy said, speaking to his girlfriend. She nodded.

"I can't believe we've made it this far. We've been through a lot. I wouldn't have even had this chance if we hadn't have gotten fused, with that whole little adventure, taking down Trigon…I can never thank you enough," She told him, hugging him. He just smiled and sighed.

"I still wish that, y'know… He were here. To see this. To see what you've worked for…" Beast Boy trailed off. She just nodded in understanding. Together, hand in hand they walked down to the kitchen for lunch.

"Crap," Beast Boy said, seeing that Cyborg was cooking. Raven laughed as she went to the refrigerator for a sandwich. Beast Boy eyed his friend warily. "What're you serving?" He asked Cyborg.

"Bacon, eggs, and for you, cardboard - I mean, tofu hot dogs," He said, offering the oblong food to his friend. Beast Boy took it, surprised.

"You, Cyborg, cooked tofu? For me? What's the occasion? Anniversary of yours and Liz's?" Beast Boy said with a grin. Behind him, Raven banged her head on the counter a couple of times. Liz and Cyborg had declared an official relationship about a month after the Boy Wonder had walked away from the Titans. Raven was still coming to terms with the relationship, which meant a lot of bruises for the Azarathian's poor skull.

Cyborg's human eye twitched. "Yes, actually. It's been two months to the day. That's not why I cooked the dogs, though. I figure somebody's gotta do it," He said. Then he turned back to cooking his bacon. Beast Boy snickered for a few moments. "What?" The cyber-teen asked over his shoulder.

"Does she know?" Beast Boy asked. More banging from Raven.

"Know what?" Cyborg asked, oblivious.

"Your…shall we say…shortcomings as a man?" Beast Boy said, his voice cracking. The counter was beginning to form an impression of Raven's skull.

Cyborg took a moment to comprehend BB's words, finally realizing his meaning. "BEAST BOY! NO! She doesn't know, and she doesn't need to!" He yelled, blushing Beast Boy laughed some more.

"I've been meaning to ask you…Does it fold out? Kind've like a transformer? Go from Cyborg mode to sexy mode?" Beast Boy asked before running, avoiding cannon fire. Raven sighed, healing her head and the counter.

"He's going to die one of these days," Cyborg muttered. Raven gave a small chuckle, causing Cyborg to frown. "What?" He asked, annoyed. Raven smirked.

"If he managed to survive _me _for three years, what makes you think you can get him?" Raven asked with amusement in her voice. Cyborg opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Starfire and Terra's appearance.

"We heard shots and banging. Beast Boy and the subject of Liz?" Terra guessed. Cyborg nodded shortly and Raven groaned again. "Speaking of whom, when're they gonna be here?" Terra asked.

"Lily told me about three. It's what, 1:30 right now?" Raven told her. Starfire nodded in confirmation as she pulled one of her Tamaranian concoctions from the refrigerator and bit into it, causing it to wiggle. Everyone shuddered and returned to their own meals.

Raven was right, Around three, the band came knocking to jam. And so it went for the next week. The band would come over every day about the same time to practice, eat and generally hang out. The week was gone in a flash, and soon they found themselves on the way to California.

Getting settled into their pre-paid hotel rooms, the band headed out to the club in order to set up their various equipment. The others went with them, helping them carry in equipment, testing the connections, etc. etc.. "Looks like we're all ready," Lily said excitedly.

"Yep. Let's not have any evildoers drop this time, alright?" Charlie nudged Raven with a laugh. She simply rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah. I'll make sure to notify our enemies to not interrupt," Raven said dryly. Then she gave a nervous sigh. "Man. Do you guys believe this? We're playing in Cali-freakin-fornia against the best bands in the U.S.. Six months ago we were playing local gigs," She reflected, amazed. Everyone just nodded, looking back on the past few months. Finally, after some chat and going out for lunch, the Titans returned to the hotel, where Raven and Beast Boy split off for their room.

"Tomorrow's the day. Exciting, huh?" Beast Boy stated the obvious, giving a proud smile to Raven. She massaged her temples, again basking in the fact that they were indeed to be playing for all of California tomorrow.

"Yep. Tomorrow. Where the hell did those three months go?" Raven joked. Beast Boy grinned and put on a strict, reedy voice.

"Well, ten percent went into federal taxes. Let's see…30 percent went into band practice, 20 went to being with your boyfriend, and 40 percent went back into a college savings fund," He said. Raven looked at him and laughed.

"Beast Boy, I am so confiscating your copy of The Mask when we get home," She joked. He looked horrified. Then he grinned evilly.

"Care to say that to my face?" He said. Raven began to speak, but instead found herself answering to The Face.

"Crap." She stated. He jumped into her lap, but was suddenly startled by a knock on the door.

"Coming," Raven called. Her boyfriend jumped off of her as she got up off the bed. She reached for the door and opened it.


	16. CrossShot?

-1Me: Ah, yes. The classic "behind the door" cliffhanger.

Raven: Yes. And the classic "foot up your ass" trick works as well if you keep leaving cliffhangers.

Me: Crap!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He's going to die one of these days," Cyborg muttered. Raven gave a small chuckle, causing Cyborg to frown. "What?" He asked, annoyed. Raven smirked.

"If he managed to survive _me _for three years, what makes you think you can get him?" Raven asked with amusement in her voice. Cyborg opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Starfire and Terra's appearance.

"We heard shots and banging. Beast Boy and the subject of Liz?" Terra guessed. Cyborg nodded shortly and Raven groaned again. "Speaking of whom, when're they gonna be here?" Terra asked.

"Lily told me about three. It's what, 1:30 right now?" Raven told her. Starfire nodded in confirmation as she pulled one of her Tamaranian concoctions from the refrigerator and bit into it, causing it to wiggle. Everyone shuddered and returned to their own meals.

Raven was right, Around three, the band came knocking to jam. And so it went for the next week. The band would come over every day about the same time to practice, eat and generally hang out. The week was gone in a flash, and soon they found themselves on the way to California.

Getting settled into their pre-paid hotel rooms, the band headed out to the club in order to set up their various equipment. The others went with them, helping them carry in equipment, testing the connections, etc. etc.. "Looks like we're all ready," Lily said excitedly.

"Yep. Let's not have any evildoers drop this time, alright?" Charlie nudged Raven with a laugh. She simply rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah. I'll make sure to notify our enemies to not interrupt," Raven said dryly. Then she gave a nervous sigh. "Man. Do you guys believe this? We're playing in Cali-freakin-fornia against the best bands in the U.S.. Six months ago we were playing local gigs," She reflected, amazed. Everyone just nodded, looking back on the past few months. Finally, after some chat and going out for lunch, the Titans returned to the hotel, where Raven and Beast Boy split off for their room.

"Tomorrow's the day. Exciting, huh?" Beast Boy stated the obvious, giving a proud smile to Raven. She massaged her temples, again basking in the fact that they were indeed to be playing for all of California tomorrow.

"Yep. Tomorrow. Where the hell did those three months go?" Raven joked. Beast Boy grinned and put on a strict, reedy voice.

"Well, ten percent went into federal taxes. Let's see…30 percent went into band practice, 20 went to being with your boyfriend, and 40 percent went back into a college savings fund," He said. Raven looked at him and laughed.

"Beast Boy, I am so confiscating your copy of The Mask when we get home," She joked. He looked horrified. Then he grinned evilly.

"Care to say that to my face?" He said. Raven began to speak, but instead found herself answering to The Face.

"Crap." She stated. He jumped into her lap, but was suddenly startled by a knock on the door.

"Coming," Raven called. Her boyfriend jumped off of her as she got up off the bed. She reached for the door and opened it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow as he heard the knock. Eyeing the door, he watched as his girlfriend turned the knob and pulled. Both of them stared in disbelief for a moment, eyebrows quirked and eyes darting from each other and back to the figure in the door.

"Um…Red X?" Raven finally asked, her face twisted into a "what the hell?" look. The skull-faced guy nodded.

"Yeah. Now, you gonna let me in or do I have to go around the back and break a window? I'm doing you a courtesy by knocking, you know," Red X said dryly through the mechanical voice filter. Raven just _knew _that whoever was behind that mask was silently laughing at them from behind said mask.

"Why should we?" Beast Boy challenged. On the one hand, Red X had helped them out before, never really did anything to _truly _harm the Titans sans minor injuries in battle, and had no real motivation for pulling anything on them. Still…Red X was a thief and a criminal…

Red X laughed again. "Kid, if there was a why not, you would've known it by now. Let's just say it concerns Bird Brain," The thief added, causing the pair of Titans to widen their eyes slightly. Finally, Raven stepped away from the door.

"Alright, what do you have?" She said, cutting to the chase. Red X looked around casually, taking in the hotel room.

"Nice room. Double bed…you guys usin' that?" He asked slyly. Raven blushed and Beast Boy frowned.

"None of your businesses, Cross-Shot. Spill or take a hike," The shape shifter demanded. Red X gave him a blank look. Well, rather, his mask gave him a blank look. Behind the mask, he quirked an eyebrow.

"Cross Shot? Hm, not bad. Maybe I should use that. I don't know though, Red X is just so much more catchy, and cooler t-" Raven interrupted him, tired already of his usual dancing around subjects.

"Get to the point, X" She told him, giving him a patented Death Glare Of Doom. This was a look that made The Face mope away in shame. Red X's eyes widened.

"Ok, fine! Geez, you people are always in such a rush. Anyway… Chuckles and I had a run-in in Steel City. I almost didn't recognize him, until I thought 'What idiot wears sunglasses at 11 in the evening?' He saw me, we had a brief scuffle, I got away. Looked like he didn't really give it his all, in my opinion," He added. Raven nodded, understanding Robin's lack of enthusiasm.

"Anyway, I tracked him. Figured that he'd lead me back to Titans Tower, and if I played my cards right I could use him to get in undetected," He explained. Beast Boy cocked his head.

"And why exactly did you want in to the Tower?" Garfield asked him. Red X shrugged.

"For the hell of it, really. Maybe steal some food, get some dirt from your rooms, take the T-Car for a joyride, something like that. Anyway, I followed him for three days, and he stayed in Steel City. Confused the hell out of me, piqued my interest. Then he left, and naturally I kept him on my radar," Red X said.

Raven furrowed her eyes and rolled them at the same time. _Robin left Steel City? But he didn't come back to the Tower…where'd he go?_ "And tracked him to where?" She prompted.

"Wow. For being the spawn of Satan, you sure ain't the brightest fire in Hell," Red X said in amusement. Raven growled, at both being called the spawn of Satan and having her intelligence insulted.

He rolled his eyes and continued. "Why the hell else do you think I came here? To see the sights and chat with you two hospitable geniuses? I lost him in the hugeness of the city, but he's definitely here. That's all I'm saying. Yeesh. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some food to steal. Nice pizza place down the block," He said. With that, he left through the door, leaving Raven and Beast Boy stunned.

"Do you trust him?" Beast Boy asked. Raven nodded.

"I didn't sense any feelings of worry or malice, like he was thinking we might call his bluff. I got a ton of sarcasm and a feeling of relief, like he got a lot off his chest or something. In other words, he just gave us a big tip to settle his debt with Robin," She summarized. Her boyfriend nodded, satisfied.

"You wanna tell the ot-" Beast Boy was cut off by his communicator. He picked it up and said "Hello?"

"We got reports of Red X in the building. You seen him?" Cyborg asked as he appeared on the screen. Beast Boy laughed.

"Yeah, he was here. He actually came specifically for us. Look, meet us at the Italian place across from Burger King in about fifteen minutes," He said. Cyborg quirked a brow and nodded, signing off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fifteen minutes later, Nevermore and the Titans sat at a larger booth as Raven retold what had happened. "And then he just kind've walked out. I was checking him the entire time for emotions. Besides a shitload of sarcasm, it seemed to me like he was settling the score with Robin," She finished. Everyone nodded, absorbing the shock of knowing that the Boy Wonder was in town and the surprise that Red X, of all people, had tipped them off.

"Well, I can run a search of any purchases under his name made by anything other than cash," Cyborg offered. Beast Boy shook his head.

"Cyborg, I told you earlier. It has to be his choice to came to us, not the other way around. I wish he would, though…" He trailed off, much to Starfire's dismay. Despite her wishes, she knew in her heart that Beast Boy was right.

"So, Raven. Are we settled on the songs for tomorrow?" Liz asked, changing the subject. Raven nodded.

"'The Beast Within,' 'Nightwatch' and for our cover, 'We Will Rock You,' right?" Raven confirmed. Everyone nodded. The concert was set up for each band to play two original songs and one cover, and Nevermore had stuck with their more familiar songs.

"Alrighty. Well, to tomorrow and to Nevermore," Beast Boy declared, raising his glass. Everyone completed the toast and settled in as their food arrived.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beast Boy woke up the next morning with some serious intestinal problems, which in turn wound up with some serious Azarathian girlfriend problems as his angel had to sleep on the other side of the room. Needless to say. She was not happy. "It's called a take-home box, Garfield," She had said crossly. Naturally, Beast Boy broke out The Face, ruining Raven's anger, so now both Titans were getting dressed for the big day.

"Nervous?" Beast Boy asked, vaguely amused. Raven was constantly on the move, even when she stood still. Whether it be a small facial tic, her knees shaking, tapping her fingers, something was always moving.

"Shut up. You're not the one going out in front of all of Cali to play," She told him with a small frown. Beast Boy just smiled even wider.

"Not true. I sing in "We Will Rock You." Besides, how the hell can you look Trigon dead in the eye and stand tall, and get like this when faced with the prospect of playing music in front of a lot of people?" He asked.

"I believe I just told you to shut the hell up," Raven repeated, not being able to repress a small smile.

"Hasn't stopped me before," He replied. _Well, score one for him,_ Raven noted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright. All equipment's on. All is set for tonight. Well, I should say, about two hours," Beast Boy said, intentionally adding that last part while looking at Raven, who flipped him off in response. He just laughed along with the others, causing Raven to create a large flip-off in the air. Everyone just rolled their eyes, and Nevermore went backstage to practice.

"How the hell did you two get together again?" Cyborg joked. Terra laughed, and Starfire giggled, then sighed. The others turned to look at her. "What's up?" Cyborg asked.

"It all looks so…ceremonial. The stage, the lights…it's amazing. On my planet, the _strogburn _was never glorified to this magnitude," She explained. The others nodded.

"Yeah, this is a concert for ya. Wait'll you hear the sound system. I bet this place has a killer mixer," Beast Boy said excitedly. Cyborg nodded, amazed that Raven's little "secret" had grown to such proportions.

"Well, ya'll, I'm hungry. Let's grab some grub before this starts. After all, we need our energy for the cover," Cyborg said with a laugh, looking at Terra and Beast Boy. It had been decided that while the band was ready and able to play now, Terra and Beast Boy would still be backup singers, so the pair just nodded and laughed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where is she…?" Raven muttered. Nevermore was up first, and the bands played their cover first. Charlie was on drums, Lily on bass, and Liz on piano, as planned at the last concert. Problem was, it was ten minutes till showtime, and Liz was nowhere to be seen. Raven breathed in and out, calming herself.

"It's alright, I'm sure she'll be here," Cyborg assured her, patting her on the back. They were waiting in their room behind the stage, and the rest of the room was edgy as well.

"Damnit, Liz. Come on…Man, if she's late, I'll fucking throttle her," Lily said. Raven grunted in agreement.

Five minutes…two…. "Oh, God. She's not here," Raven said, feeling her heart sink. Without Liz, they were fucked. Majorly so. As everyone trudged out of the room to announce their inability to play, they heard someone clear their throat.

"Hold it," Someone said.


	17. Change Of Plans

-1Beast Boy: Suspense! Gotta love it.

Raven: Yeah…sure… (puts headphones back on)

Beast Boy: What're you listening to? Ooh, Disturbed! Liberate! Sweet.

Me: Very sweet. That song wins.

Robin: I prefer Rockin' Robin.

Everyone: Oh, shut up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"And why exactly did you want in to the Tower?" Garfield asked him. Red X shrugged.

"For the hell of it, really. Maybe steal some food, get some dirt from your rooms, take the T-Car for a joyride, something like that. Anyway, I followed him for three days, and he stayed in Steel City. Confused the hell out of me, piqued my interest. Then he left, and naturally I kept him on my radar," Red X said.

Raven furrowed her eyes and rolled them at the same time. _Robin left Steel City? But he didn't come back to the Tower…where'd he go?_ "And tracked him to where?" She prompted.

"Wow. For being the spawn of Satan, you sure ain't the brightest fire in Hell," Red X said in amusement. Raven growled, at both being called the spawn of Satan and having her intelligence insulted.

He rolled his eyes and continued. "Why the hell else do you think I came here? To see the sights and chat with you two hospitable geniuses? I lost him in the hugeness of the city, but he's definitely here. That's all I'm saying. Yeesh. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some food to steal. Nice pizza place down the block," He said. With that, he left through the door, leaving Raven and Beast Boy stunned.

"Do you trust him?" Beast Boy asked. Raven nodded.

"I didn't sense any feelings of worry or malice, like he was thinking we might call his bluff. I got a ton of sarcasm and a feeling of relief, like he got a lot off his chest or something. In other words, he just gave us a big tip to settle his debt with Robin," She summarized. Her boyfriend nodded, satisfied…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright. All equipment's on. All is set for tonight. Well, I should say, about two hours," Beast Boy said, intentionally adding that last part while looking at Raven, who flipped him off in response. He just laughed along with the others, causing Raven to create a large flip-off in the air. Everyone just rolled their eyes, and Nevermore went backstage to practice.

"How the hell did you two get together again?" Cyborg joked. Terra laughed, and Starfire giggled, then sighed. The others turned to look at her. "What's up?" Cyborg asked.

"It all looks so…ceremonial. The stage, the lights…it's amazing. On my planet, the _strogburn _was never glorified to this magnitude," She explained. The others nodded.

"Yeah, this is a concert for ya. Wait'll you hear the sound system. I bet this place has a killer mixer," Beast Boy said excitedly. Cyborg nodded, amazed that Raven's little "secret" had grown to such proportions.

"Well, ya'll, I'm hungry. Let's grab some grub before this starts. After all, we need our energy for the cover," Cyborg said with a laugh, looking at Terra and Beast Boy. It had been decided that while the band was ready and able to play now, Terra and Beast Boy would still be backup singers, so the pair just nodded and laughed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where is she…?" Raven muttered. Nevermore was up first, and the bands played their cover first. Charlie was on drums, Lily on bass, and Liz on piano, as planned at the last concert. Problem was, it was ten minutes till showtime, and Liz was nowhere to be seen. Raven breathed in and out, calming herself.

"It's alright, I'm sure she'll be here," Cyborg assured her, patting her on the back. They were waiting in their room behind the stage, and the rest of the room was edgy as well.

"Damnit, Liz. Come on…Man, if she's late, I'll fucking throttle her," Lily said. Raven grunted in agreement.

Five minutes…two…. "Oh, God. She's not here," Raven said, feeling her heart sink. Without Liz, they were fucked. Majorly so. As everyone trudged out of the room to announce their inability to play, they heard someone clear their throat.

"Hold it," Someone said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone froze, slowly turning around. Everyone was thinking the same thing: Who the heck? Coming face to face with the mystery man, everyone gasped.

"Er…Liz called me. How she got the number, no clue, but she told me she wouldn't be able to make this…Asked me to 'stop being an idiot and help,' to quote her," Robin finished with a small smile and a mild tinge of amusement in his voice. He wasn't in uniform in the least bit. Instead, he wore baggy blue jeans and a white shirt that bore Meatwad, Frylock and Master Shake of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force on it with the words "A well balanced meal," at the bottom. Black shades, hair worn to slightly above his shoulders and black Converses completed the outfit.

The Boy Wonder looked at the others with a hunger for their response in his eyes. He especially looked at Beast Boy, whose facial expression was the same as the others in shock. Finally, the shape shifter shook himself and stepped forward.

"Depends. Are we cool on the whole Slade demon thing?" Beast Boy asked. Robin winced.

"I guess we'll call it that until later. I have some apologizing to do, but we've got a show to play," Robin told him. Beast Boy smiled, but stopped the Boy Wonder as he tried to move past him.

"Uh-uh. One more thing, Boy Blunder. Are you coming back with us?" He asked. Robin's eyes sparkled from behind the glasses.

"You…you'd have me back?" Robin stuttered. Everyone gave him a "Are you a retard?" look.

"We need a leader who can keep his concentration when he walks past a food stand," Raven told him, causing Cyborg to frown.

"Then…yea. I am. Now, can we get out there? We gotta get this shit moving," Robin said, now full of energy. Raven and Beast Boy looked at each other and smiled, knowing now that this was going to be an amazing night for Nevermore.

Robin practically dove out of the hall and onto the stage. Grabbing the microphone, he cleared his throat.

"Alright all, we're covering a familiar song. If you don't know it…well, you should," He announced, garnering a small chuckle. "It's called 'Carry On My Wayward Son,' by Kansas." Everyone, both audience and band member, looked at him, surprised. Or, in the case of the band, shocked.

"Robin, we're doing We Will Rock You, not that!" Raven whispered furiously. Robin just turned and gave her a look that said "Trust me." She stood back, heart in her throat, wondering what the hell the Boy Wonder was doing. Suddenly, she heard his voice in her head, coming through their special bond.

_Raven, I know you can transfer knowledge between people. I have the complete tab for this song in my head. We play a song like this that no one's expecting, the crowd is going to go nuts. I know this song by heart. Just beam the tabs to everyone," _He "said" with a small laugh. He then proceeded to take a seat in front of the piano.

_Clever little bird, _She thought with a smile. It took less than five seconds for the transfers to take place, and everyone suddenly livened up as Raven telekinetically retuned everyone.

(A/N Setup it as follows: Raven and Starfire as electric guitars 1 and 2 respectively. Raven is playing the main part of the song, and Starfire is playing the solos as well as playing in tune with Raven. Charlie is on drums, Lily is on bass guitar, and Robin is on piano.)

(Raven, singing to Robin)  
Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest

(Lily and Raven)

Don't you cry no more

With that, Starfire and Raven broke into the first guitar part of the song. Raven allowed Starfire to take the solo, and Robin added in his piano parts. Then, Robin began his piano solo, Lily stepping in to support him part of the way through. Robin closed his eyes as he began to sing.

(Robin)  
Once I rose above the noise and confusion  
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion  
I was soaring ever higher  
But I flew too high  
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man  
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man  
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming  
I can hear them say

(Lily and Raven)

Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest  
Don't you cry no more

Raven and Starfire repeated their part, beginning to get into the rhythm.

(Robin)  
Masquerading as a man with a reason  
My charade is the event of the season  
And if I claim to be a wise man, well  
It surely means that I don't know  
On a stormy sea of moving emotion  
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean  
I set a course for winds of fortune  
But I hear the voices say  
Carry on my wayward son

(Lily and Raven)

There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest

Don't you cry no more

Raven grinned as Starfire broke into her solo. After she finished hers, Robin took over. Raven started to dance a bit and she jumped back into the song.

(Beast Boy and Terra)  
Carry on, you will always remember  
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor  
Now your life's no longer empty  
Surely heaven waits for you

(Lily and Raven)

There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest

Don't you cry no more

Robin was really getting into his piano parts as Starfire began another scorcher of a solo, turning around to look directly at Robin as they played. Locking eyes, they finished out the rest of their song, completely in synch with one another. With one final added on refrain, they ended the song and waited for the results of Robin's impromptu change of plans.

Robin gave a knowing smirk to Raven as the crowd erupted, to which Raven responded with a roll of the eyes.

Entering back into their room, everyone looked at Robin. "What? I just figured it'd be better than 'We Will Rock You'," He said with a shrug in response to everyone's faces. Lily laughed.

"I think Bird Brain was right," She said, indicating outside where the crowd could still be heard. Everyone nodded, smiling in satisfaction. Over the course of a couple minutes, though, Beast Boy noticed a subtle change in the sounds. Furrowing his brows, he concentrated, trying to figure it out. Then his eyes widened.

"Guys! That's not cheering! That's screaming! Come on!" Beast Boy cried urgently. Raven cocked a brow and looked at the others. Then everyone looked at Robin.

"Uh…Titans, go?" He suggested. Everyone laughed and rolled their eyes again before chasing Beast Boy out on to the stage. Seeing Beast Boy silhouetted against the frame of the stage door, they caught up to him. And froze.

"How in Azar's name did you…?" Raven gasped. Jim stood in the middle of the stage with several women of varying ages held at gunpoint, including one girl that looked about 8 years old. Robin's face contorted into a snarl. Raven, on the other hand, was simply rooted to the spot. _How? He was caught and incarcerated! _The empath cried out to herself.

"Well, there you are! Kept me waiting. Cryin' shame, the broad lived," He said as he noticed Starfire. The subject of his speech readied a star bolt, but froze when he point the gun at the young girl.

"She dies first if you attack me. Now, let's just say that everyone has their superiors. Mine…Only I need to know who he is. But he wants you Nevermore people gone. And for the hell of it, I want you Titans gone. Ready for my proposal?" Jim asked with an infuriating smirk.

"Hit me," Robin growled. Jim smiled.

"Good, good. Alright, here's what's going to happen. I've got nine women here. You've got…Eleven people with you. Alright, Blake, Mike, get up here," He motioned for two of his cohorts to get up on the stage. Once they appeared, Jim continued. "Alright! You will go, chosen by yourselves, one by one with one of my guys here. You try anything funny and these women will be bloodstains. You'll go backstage, and one of these two will execute you. For each person down, I let one of these women go. I'll even let two of you live," Jim added as thought this was a hell of a deal. Everyone's mouths dropped.

"Deal?" Jim asked.

Everyone was frozen in shock. If they tried to attack, at least one of those women were dead, most likely the child. Their only other option was to send their friends to be executed. Robin and Raven looked at each other. They were the leaders of their two groups. Finally, Robin opened his mouth.

"Just…don't hurt the child. It's a d-" Robin was cut short as an odd sound caught everyone's ear. Suddenly, fast as lightning, a bunch of…somethings…slammed the three criminals and sent them flying across the room, pinned to the wall. And at similar speeds, a figure dashed across in their wake, coming to a stop in front of Jim.

"You want a deal? Here's mine: You either calm the fuck down and go to death row nice an easy, or I can save the cops the trouble," A familiar mechanically-filtered device snarled. He punctuated his statement by pushing the two X blades that pinned Jim's shoulders into the wall, bringing the blades within less than an inch of his neck.

Everyone else was stunned. The women made a break for it, joining everyone else who had evacuated. The Titans and Nevermore stood there, mouths wide open. "Who the hell's that?" Charlie asked.

"Long story, but for now I'll just say that he's a thief," Robin said. Charlie nodded.

"Yes, but Red X has also helped us before. What he's doing now…no idea," Raven added. They all shut up as Red X spoke again, pushing the blades in far enough to draw a small line of blood.

"I never knew my mother or my sister because of sick fucks like you," The thief growled, his filtered voice shaking. Jim's eyes were wide in terror. Red X stood there, the blank eyes of his mask staring down Jim's terrified face. Then he reached forward and grabbed the blades, as if he were going to press them in all the way and decapitate Jim.

For a horrible moment, Robin thought that Red X was finally going to cross the line into becoming a true criminal. Then, suddenly, Red X let go and laughed.

"Wet yourself a little?" The masked thief asked over his shoulder as he walked away from Jim. Robin practically deflated. Sure, Red X had always been a burden on his shoulders, but whoever was under that suit had helped the Boy Wonder in vital times. Robin had his precious briefcase because of X, and his friends had been saved from being destroyed by Dr.Chang's laser cannon by the thief. Robin did not want to see Red X become anything more than a thief.

Red X leapt onto the stage to face the group. "You thought I was gonna kill a bitch, didn't you, Robin?" He said with a smirk in his voice. Robin took a deep breath.

"It was a possibility," Robin replied. Red X laughed again. He began to speak again, but Robin interrupted him.

"How did you get in here?" He asked, puzzled. Red X looked at him, and the mask couldn't hide the "are you an idiot?" look.

"I'm fucking Red X. There are very few places I can't break into," He said. Then, when Beast Boy muttered quietly "Like Titan's Tower," Red X said "Yeah. Stuff it."

"But…why? And what did you mean about your family?" Raven asked. She didn't want to use her powers, but her curiosity was definitely getting the better of her.

"We'll meet later to talk," Red X said. With that, he calmly made his exit through the front doors.

"That dude confuses me more and more every time we see him," Beast Boy commented.


	18. What does X equal?

-1Beast Boy: Methinks Jim is shaping up to be a recurring villain.

Raven: Yeah…Hey, as long as I'm a rock star, all is good.

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The Boy Wonder looked at the others with a hunger for their response in his eyes. He especially looked at Beast Boy, whose facial expression was the same as the others in shock. Finally, the shape shifter shook himself and stepped forward.

"Depends. Are we cool on the whole Slade demon thing?" Beast Boy asked. Robin winced.

"I guess we'll call it that until later. I have some apologizing to do, but we've got a show to play," Robin told him. Beast Boy smiled, but stopped the Boy Wonder as he tried to move past him.

"Uh-uh. One more thing, Boy Blunder. Are you coming back with us?" He asked. Robin's eyes sparkled from behind the glasses.

"You…you'd have me back?" Robin stuttered. Everyone gave him a "Are you a retard?" look.

"We need a leader who can keep his concentration when he walks past a food stand," Raven told him, causing Cyborg to frown.

"Then…yea. I am. Now, can we get out there? We gotta get this shit moving," Robin said, now full of energy. Raven and Beast Boy looked at each other and smiled, knowing now that this was going to be an amazing night for Nevermore.

Robin practically dove out of the hall and onto the stage. Grabbing the microphone, he cleared his throat.

"Alright all, we're covering a familiar song. If you don't know it…well, you should," He announced, garnering a small chuckle. "It's called 'Carry On My Wayward Son,' by Kansas." Everyone, both audience and band member, looked at him, surprised. Or, in the case of the band, shocked.

"Robin, we're doing We Will Rock You, not that!" Raven whispered furiously. Robin just turned and gave her a look that said "Trust me." She stood back, heart in her throat, wondering what the hell the Boy Wonder was doing. Suddenly, she heard his voice in her head, coming through their special bond.

Raven, I know you can transfer knowledge between people. I have the complete tab for this song in my head. We play a song like this that no one's expecting, the crowd is going to go nuts. I know this song by heart. Just beam the tabs to everyone," He "said" with a small laugh. He then proceeded to take a seat in front of the piano.

Clever little bird, She thought with a smile. It took less than five seconds for the transfers to take place, and everyone suddenly livened up as Raven telekinetically retuned everyone...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Good, good. Alright, here's what's going to happen. I've got nine women here. You've got…Eleven people with you. Alright, Blake, Mike, get up here," He motioned for two of his cohorts to get up on the stage. Once they appeared, Jim continued. "Alright! You will go, chosen by yourselves, one by one with one of my guys here. You try anything funny and these women will be bloodstains. You'll go backstage, and one of these two will execute you. For each person down, I let one of these women go. I'll even let two of you live," Jim added as thought this was a hell of a deal. Everyone's mouths dropped.

"Deal?" Jim asked.

Everyone was frozen in shock. If they tried to attack, at least one of those women were dead, most likely the child. Their only other option was to send their friends to be executed. Robin and Raven looked at each other. They were the leaders of their two groups. Finally, Robin opened his mouth.

"Just…don't hurt the child. It's a d-" Robin was cut short as an odd sound caught everyone's ear. Suddenly, fast as lightning, a bunch of…somethings…slammed the three criminals and sent them flying across the room, pinned to the wall. And at similar speeds, a figure dashed across in their wake, coming to a stop in front of Jim.

"You want a deal? Here's mine: You either calm the fuck down and go to death row nice an easy, or I can save the cops the trouble," A familiar mechanically-filtered device snarled. He punctuated his statement by pushing the two X blades that pinned Jim's shoulders into the wall, bringing the blades within less than an inch of his neck.

Everyone else was stunned. The women made a break for it, joining everyone else who had evacuated. The Titans and Nevermore stood there, mouths wide open. "Who the hell's that?" Charlie asked.

"Long story, but for now I'll just say that he's a thief," Robin said. Charlie nodded.

"Yes, but Red X has also helped us before. What he's doing now…no idea," Raven added. They all shut up as Red X spoke again, pushing the blades in far enough to draw a small line of blood.

"I never knew my mother or my sister because of sick fucks like you," The thief growled, his filtered voice shaking. Jim's eyes were wide in terror. Red X stood there, the blank eyes of his mask staring down Jim's terrified face. Then he reached forward and grabbed the blades, as if he were going to press them in all the way and decapitate Jim.

For a horrible moment, Robin thought that Red X was finally going to cross the line into becoming a true criminal. Then, suddenly, Red X let go and laughed.

"Wet yourself a little?" The masked thief asked over his shoulder as he walked away from Jim. Robin practically deflated. Sure, Red X had always been a burden on his shoulders, but whoever was under that suit had helped the Boy Wonder in vital times. Robin had his precious briefcase because of X, and his friends had been saved from being destroyed by Dr.Chang's laser cannon by the thief. Robin did not want to see Red X become anything more than a thief.

Red X leapt onto the stage to face the group. "You thought I was gonna kill a bitch, didn't you, Robin?" He said with a smirk in his voice. Robin took a deep breath.

"It was a possibility," Robin replied. Red X laughed again. He began to speak again, but Robin interrupted him.

"How did you get in here?" He asked, puzzled. Red X looked at him, and the mask couldn't hide the "are you an idiot?" look.

"I'm fucking Red X. There are very few places I can't break into," He said. Then, when Beast Boy muttered quietly "Like Titan's Tower," Red X said "Yeah. Stuff it."

"But…why? And what did you mean about your family?" Raven asked. She didn't want to use her powers, but her curiosity was definitely getting the better of her.

"We'll meet later to talk," Red X said. With that, he calmly made his exit through the front doors.

"That dude confuses me more and more every time we see him," Beast Boy commented.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, the rest of the Battle has been set back to tomorrow," Raven told the others, getting off the phone with the officials. Everyone nodded.

"Makes sense. They need time to clean up and such," Robin commented, immensely enjoying the fact that he was back with his friends. He had taken Beast Boy aside and apologized profusely, stopping only when Beast Boy smacked him upside the head after telling him repeatedly to stop.

Starfire had barely left her boyfriend's side since he reappeared, as if ensuring that he wasn't going to leave again. Speaking of whom…."Yes, but what of Red X?" The Tamaranian wondered. Everyone made various noises of agreement as they waited for their pizza. They had decided to hit a nearby parlor after the small incident at the concert.

"What about me?" Everyone looked up just as the topic of conversation plopped himself down between Raven and Starfire, stretching his arms and laying his elbows on the table as though hanging out with old friends. Robin looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What? I told you we'd meet and talk. The pizzas are on me by the way, I managed to scrounge up a few bucks. Not stolen, Chuckles," Red X added, seeing Robin about to open his mouth. "Anyway, what'd you all wanna know?" He asked, knowing damn good and well what they were after.

"Well…You said something about your mother and sister when you took Jim down. By the way, thank you. You did us a big favor there. Actually, you've done us two big favors now," Raven said, looking at Robin, who looked down momentarily.

Red X was silent for a moment, as if thinking. Finally, he spoke. "My mother…she was an amazing woman. I…some of the best times of my life were when she was around. The same with my sister. But it's just another thing we've got in common, Chuckles," He began. Robin frowned at the name, but allowed the thief to continue.

"We were at a movie. It was The Mask, I believe. Great movie. Anyway, the show got interrupted. A bunch of crooks came in and tried to rob the theater. Took hostages from the various theaters. I somehow managed to avoid detection, but not the others. My dad…son of a bitch. He left us when I was born. And wouldn't you know, he was one of the crooks," He said with an ironic laugh. Everyone's faces showed sympathy, but he ignored them and continued.

"Well, the thieves got impatient. Started shooting the hostages. And…they were the first to go. My sister…she was fucking ten years old. Still liked Barbie Dolls. Sometimes, she'd get me to play Ken. 'Course, Ken always wound up to be a womanizing sex machine," He laughed again, but Raven could hear his voice beginning to crack.

"Anyway, once they started shooting, the place became a madhouse. I wasn't concerned about getting out. I wanted some revenge. I…killed my father. I was already big into martial arts and such. Wasn't hard to knock the gun from his hand and shoot him with it. I ran, never looking back," Red X took a steadying breath.

"I grew up on the streets for ten years. I was ten when it happened. I stole to survive, but I swore to never kill, and to never let anyone kill as long as I could help it. When I saw you with that suit, Chuckles…I knew I could do far better with it than you could. Tin Man here couldn't hold a candle to the stealth I had come to master," He said with a smirk, while Cyborg spluttered.

"Anyway, yeah. That's about it as far as stuff you don't know," He finished, causing them all to sit, speechless as their pizzas came.

Finally, Robin spoke first. "There's still one more thing. Who are you?" He asked. It was the question Robin had been dying to figure out ever since he knew that someone stole the suit.

Red X shrugged. "I am who I am. I'm Red X. It's who I am now. Before, I was called Drake. Drake Mit. But that's in the past now," He said, sounding almost sad. Robin nodded.

"Well, what happens now? We owe you for taking Jim down. And I owe you for giving Liz my number, which I know you did," Robin said. X laughed again, not even bothering to deny it. Then he sighed.

"Not much to do except to get back to my usual routine. I'm getting low on my xenotheum though. It looks like I'm going to be on the streets as Drake pretty soon. Oh well. I'll return the suit when it runs out, I guess," He said with a shrug.

Robin shook his head. "No. Drake, you've proven throughout our time knowing you that you aren't just a thief. You're a hero in your own right. I'm not saying that the thefts you've done are right, but they _have _apparently been necessary for you to live. You don't deserve a street life," The Boy Wonder told him.

"Yeah man! That's no way to live. Trust me, I know," Beast Boy said, recalling his own times on the street before the Titans formed.

"Robin, he could stay with us, couldn't he?" Terra suggested. She and Robin looked at each other, both remembering the last time they let a stranger stay in the Tower. Then she grinned. "Hey, I didn't turn out so bad," She added.

"Sure. I seem to recall you burying me in a landslide," Robin grinned back. Terra blushed in embarrassment and looked away while Robin looked at X. "She's right. You're free to stick with us if you want," He confirmed. Then as an afterthought, "But the mask comes off."

Red X sat there, silent. Then he looked at Robin again. "What makes you so sure I won't turn out like the last villain you 'converted?'" He asked coolly. Robin smiled.

"Because you aren't a villain. Villains don't save lives," He said. X nodded.

"I'll think on it, Chuckles. In the mean time, I leave you with this," He said, getting up and handing Robin a briefcase. Then, hitting a button on his belt, he vanished.

"Like I said: Confusing," Beast Boy repeated. Everyone nodded, looking at the briefcase curiously. Robin undid the locks, opened it, and laughed. There, laying in front of him were the familiar green tights and red shirt. Laid next to them were the cape, eye mask, and gloves, with his "R" badge lying on top. Even the shoes had been crammed in. Robin also saw a note on plain white paper. Looking at it, he read:

_I spent two weeks getting enough honest money to get these damn things dry-cleaned and pressed. Keep 'em that way. Your bike's at Ned's garage, getting new tires. Should be done by now. Keys are in one of the shoes._

_Oh, and Cyborg's sub was nearing its expiration date. I took care of the matter._

_Red X_

Robin laughed again as he read the note. Smiling, he held the shirt up and unfolded it, causing the others at the table to blink in surprise before laughing along with the Boy Wonder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Drake smiled from behind the mask as he watched the man he shared so much with reunite with what made him…him. Satisfied, he turned around- and bumped directly into something. Or rather. some_one_.

"Well, well. Touching, really. You are quite a piece of work, Mr. X. But you know, you just put one of my better men back in jail. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get him back the first time?" Slade asked coolly. Drake stepped back to get some footing, ready to do battle.

"Heh. So you finally found yourself someone dumb enough to think you're actually apprenticing them?" Drake said, eyeing his opponent. The two circled each other, each waiting for the first move.

Drake decided to make his first. Drawing back, he shot a pair of red "x" shaped explosive from the hands of the suit at Slade, who nimbly dodged by rolling forward. Slade turned the roll into a jump, swinging forward as he went airborne. Drake blocked the blow with an X shield that appeared on the wrist of his right arm. The two separated, circling again.

"You're good, I'll give you that. But you will not win this fight," Slade said. With that, he rushed the thief. X was ready, however, and jumped before Slade could hit him. Drake flipped, did a handstand on Slade's shoulders, twisted, and swung downwards into a kick that sent the masked man flying in his own momentum.

Slade grunted and stood up, sidestepping Drake's follow-up attack. X did a quick jump backwards to give himself some space. "Is that all you've got? Robin must not be as good as I thought he was if you could give him trouble," Drake taunted.

Then, he noticed something: three black jewels, adorning the backside of both hands and one right below his neck. Drake narrowed his eyes. _Where have I seen that at before? _The masked thief shook his head and jumped to dodge a flying kick from his opponent. For the next few minutes, all Drake did was defend himself, too distracted in his search to remember where'd he seen that particular image before.

Then, in a flash, it came to him.

"_Need a lift?"_

"_Face it: Red X could be anyone. Anyone smart enough to steal the suit and dumb enough to take it for a joyride."_

"_Azarath Metrion -mmmmph!"_

Hers were red, and she had more on a belt, but there was definitely a connection. _Alright then, tough guy. Looks like Freak Show was right about your little demon mafia. Let's see if we can't solve that little problem,_ He thought. He leapt at Slade, and rather than toss a punch at the man he swiped at the jewel on Slade's left hand. Nothing moved even an inch, but Drake was now determined to get those jewels.

Suddenly, Slade was right in front of him. Drake flew from the force of the villain's roundhouse, skidding across the rooftop and steadying himself. It wasn't enough though. The match quickly turned in Slade's favor as Drake was tossed around like a rag doll. Punched, kicked and thrown, Drake was about ready to collapse from exhaustion and pain. Then a memory flashed through his mind.

"_Drake! DRAKE!" A woman screamed as she was yanked away by masked men. The boy could not be seen, and knew better than to change that. Tears streamed down his face as he watched his mother and sister both brutally shot to death, and by his own father. Fury over took him, and…_

Drake felt fury well up inside him. This bastard was ready to kill innocent people for his own whims, ready to murder helpless children for his own selfishness. "Not today, you son of a bitch," He said under his breath. With a mighty effort, he charged Slade and kicked him in the hand with all his might. With a dainty noise, the jewel fell out, rolling across the roof and resting at Drakes feet.

"Catch you later," He panted, grabbing the stone and disappearing.


	19. Jewelry and a Decision

-1Raven: (In a deep, dramatic voice) As per the instruction of the author, I am here to inform thee that he shall not henceforth be including snippets of previous chapters. Therefore, there will be more room to type, and…

Me: A simple "The author won't be putting pre-chapter snippets up" would have been fine, you know.

Raven: I know, but it sounded cool.

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"Alright guys, back to the hotels? I have to buy my room, and I think I'm taking Star with me. She seems to be attached to me," He joked, tugging the arm Starfire had her own arm wrapped around in a mock attempt to free himself. She lightly smacked him in the head, causing everyone to give a chuckle.

"Yep. Sounds good. Everyone, adjust your seat belts. Raven Air is about to take off," Raven Said with a grin. Enveloping everyone in her magic, she teleported back to the hotel. Robin left to go buy his room, Starfire clinging to him, and everyone else said their goodnights and split off for their own rooms.

"Wow. Why is it that every time we go to do something extracurricular, some asshole has to show up and ruin it?" Raven called from the bedroom of their suite as they changed into their pajamas. She could hear her boyfriend laugh from the bathroom.

"Because we're superheroes and you're a rock star? Plus, I'm too handsome. Everyone gets jealous and wants me dead," He said. Raven just rolled her eyes, muttering what sounded suspiciously like "you wish." "I heard that!" He yelled.

Raven just smirked. Then she got surprised by Beast Boy suddenly barging out from the bathroom and waging an all-out tickling assault on her. Rolling around for a few minutes, Beast Boy finally wound up with his arms wrapped tightly around her ankles and tickling her feet until she submitted, both completely forgetting their powers.

"Ass," She said, getting up and flopping onto the bed. Beast Boy grinned and followed suite.

"I know," He replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Then, at the warning look she gave him, he leaned over and gave her a proper kiss.

"Better," She said with a smile as she closed her eyes. Half an hour had hardly passed when a loud noise startled them both.

"I'll check," Beast Boy told her. Raven nodded, eyebrows furrowed. The changeling approached their balcony door and opened it. Both Titans gasped at the sight in front of them.

Red X stood their, barely staying on his feet and covered in a variety of blacks, blues and purples that could be seen through the various rips in his suit. Panting heavily, he half walked, half limped, and half stumbled towards Beast Boy.

(A/N Yes, I know, too many halves. Sue me.)

"X!" Raven cried, leaping out of bed and running forward. The pair of Titans walked the thief across the room and laid him on the bed, where Raven began to heal what she could. "What the hell happened?" She cried.

"Let him compose himself, Rae," Beast Boy said. For a few minutes, the only audible sound in the room was X's heavy breaths. Finally, slowly, he began to sit up. Raven put her hand on his chest and gently but firmly pushed him back down.

"No. You're beaten all to hell, X. You need to stay down. Here," She said, placing a second pillow under his head to prop him up.

X laughed quietly. "Thanks, nurse Raven," He said, with only a hint of amused sarcasm. "Slade happened to me," He said suddenly, causing both of the Titans to do a double take.

"Slade?" Raven echoed.

"Yeah. Black and orange mask, silver armor, talks all cool and shit? Anyway, he attacked me not long after our chat. I have no idea why, but apparently he was peeved at me because I put that asshole with the gun in jail. There was a battle, and I didn't do so hot. Son of a bitch is tougher than he looks," He said. Raven and Beast Boy nodded.

"So why did you come here? I would've thought you would go to Robin. He's the one that's got an agenda Slade," Raven asked. X sighed.

"Two things. One, you can heal. You've already done a damn good job, thank you by the way. And two, this," He told her, producing the black jewel. Raven took it and examined it curiously.

"Where'd you get it and why would you think I'd know anything about it?" Raven asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you're not wearing them now, but on your outfit you have those little ruby thingies on your hands and collar. That's where Rambo had those jewels at: three of them, one on the back of each hand and one on his collar. And it may have been me, but he seemed way too good to be human," He explained. Raven nodded, then her eyes widened.

"Oh, Azar…" She whispered. Suddenly, the jewel glowed, and it hit Raven with a small black beam that sent her flying into the wall. "That's what I thought," She muttered, walking back over and lifting the stone with her powers. "Yeah, I know what it is. Or at least, what it's supposed to be," She confirmed.

"I'm all ears," X said. Beast Boy nodded as well.

"Alright. It's a well-known Azarathian legend. Supposedly, before the world was created there was a great battle. Seven dark entities, godlike in their power, attempted to destroy Azar, or God as s/he is known to this realm. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse fought them, and were on the verge of losing the war when Lucifer stepped in.

With his power, he aided the Horsemen and ultimately destroyed the dark gods. Knowing that defeat was at hand, the gods poured themselves into seven identical gems, in the hopes that someone might one day find them and continue their legacy.

And guess who found them? Lucifer. He searched them out, intending to destroy them. But he was corrupted and manipulated by the sheer evil that the gems stood for, and he became Satan. Now, the gems are said to be lost," Raven finished.

"Wow. Nice bedtime story," X commented dryly. Raven rolled her eyes.

"The gems were marked with different aspects of evil. According to legend, each gem represents an aspect. Greed, hatred, violence, begrudging, murderous, selfishness and narcissism. This one, " She said, turning it around so that everyone could see foreign writing on it, "is the Evil Gem of Violence. That text is ancient Azarathian," She told them.

"Yeah, but why'd it hurt you and not Slade?" X wondered.

"The Evil Gems don't play nice with people that play nice," Raven explained simply. Placing the stone down on the bedside table, Raven looked at X. "I'll be up for a while. Beast Boy and I will make a bed on the floor. If you need anything, just ask," She told him.

"Well…could you get this damn thing off?" X said, pointing to his mask. Raven's eyes widened. No one had ever seen him unmasked before. Nodding, she reached over and gently pulled the mask off, as so not to hurt him. As it came out, shoulder-length jet-black hair spilled out onto the pillows. Placing the mask next to the gem, she looked over to his face.

His eyes were a bright blue, shining through his pale face. His face in general was thin, with small lips and a somewhat pointed chin. His nose stood firm, slightly rounded, and without the mask he gave off a general demeanor of a go-lucky guy. He gave a small smirk, and when he spoke his voice sounded somewhat deeper than the filter allowed.

"Take a picture, it might last a little longer," He said, snapping Raven out of her studies. She blushed.

"Sorry…it's just…none of us have really seen who you are," She explained. He continued to smirk.

"Yeah well. Wouldn't want Mr. Presto Change-o over there getting jealous," He told her. Raven rolled her eyes and gave a small laugh.

"Good night… Drake," She said as she exited the room to get spare blankets from the T-Car.

"Same to you, Raven," He said. Rolling over, he tried to get comfortable. Then he noticed Beast Boy staring into space, as if lost in his own world.

"Anything profound floating around in there?" Drake asked. Beast Boy blinked a couple times and looked in the thief's direction.

"Somewhat…If Slade had those jewels…What if he's trying to collect them? If he gets the power of seven dark gods… He could bring Trigon back with twice the power he previously had. I could barely take him down when he wasn't even at full power! I mean…"

"You worry WAY too much, you know that?" Drake said with an amused look on his face. "Raven's a big girl. She'll - no, we'll find a way to stop Mask-boy from getting all these gem things. We already have one," He reminded the changeling, having caught on to Beast Boy's feelings.

"I guess you're right," Beast Boy admitted. Looking at the jewel, he got curious. _Surely, if I just pick it up for a second to look…it didn't hurt Raven until she had it for a few minutes, _He reasoned. He moved over and stretched his hand towards it, only to have Drake's black-gloved hand shoot out and grab his wrist.

"Just because you can turn into a cat doesn't mean you have nine lives," He told Beast Boy dryly. Beast Boy gave a small smirk and pulled his hand away. Then, forgetting that his girlfriend was coming back with sleeping arrangements, he morphed into a dog and curled up into the corner nearest him. Drake rose an eyebrow, shrugged, winced in pain due to said shrug, and relaxed as he closed his eyes.

A minute later, Raven came back with blankets. "Alright, I-" She stopped, seeing both Drake and Beast Boy sound asleep. "O..k… Never mind, I'll just make myself comfortable here, I guess," She muttered as she set the blankets down next to the dog that was her boyfriend and snuggled in.

Drake woke up the next morning with the mother of all headaches. "Oooh…Shit. Just explode already," He mumbled into the pillow. Hearing the sound of footsteps, he rolled over to see Raven place two bacon, egg and cheese McMuffins down on the table with a hash brown and some orange juice.

"Try sitting up," Raven said, holding her hand out and helping Drake into an upright position. "Alright?" She queried.

Drake nodded. "Christ. My head feels like my brain is trying to come out through my eyeballs," He complained. Raven held out a couple of aspirins.

"I thought so. Here," She handed him the juice, which he promptly used to swallow the pills with. Nodding his thanks, he began stuffing one of the sandwiches down his mouth.

"Man after my own heart," Beast Boy commented as he opened the bathroom door. Raven entered, then swore as she realized that Beast Boy hadn't dried off yet. And Beast Boy had a unique way of drying off: using his dog form.

Drake snorted as he heard Raven yell "How many times do I have to tell you? Use a frickin' towel!" Raven stormed out of the bathroom, drenched in dog-water. Drake couldn't help but laugh, despite the fact that laughing hurt. He was silenced, however, by Raven's Glare Of Utter Destruction.

Finally, everyone was ready to leave the room, Raven's anger having been remedied by the Face. "Let's see if you can stand," Beast Boy said. Raven helped him up, while Beast Boy morphed a squid in case he had to grab Drake if he fell. The thief stood, winced as his legs told him no, but overpowered his bodily instincts.

"Alright, I'm up. Let's go find Chuckles and the others," He said. Raven reached for his mask, but Drake shook his head. "Nah. I get the feeling I won't be wearing this suit much longer. Xenotheum's only good for one more use. One more teleport, one more explosive, anything. Then the suit's basically nothing," He said, waving the mask away. Raven nodded.

"Coming!" Robin yelled, smiling as he dressed himself in his suit. Checking himself out in the bathroom mirror, he applied gratuitous amounts of hair gel, smiled in satisfaction, and crossed from the bathroom to the main room door, opening it.

"What the fuck?!" He cried in surprise at the sight of Red X, maskless and beaten. Startled at her boyfriend's outburst, Starfire flew up behind him and gasped. "What in God's name happened, X?" Robin asked as he ushered them all inside.

"Slade, Chuckles, Slade. Jaskass ambushed me after we chatted last night. Turns out that Jim dude is his. He was pissed at me for putting him back in jail, I guess. Fight broke out, he kicked my ass," He said simply.

"But he didn't leave empty-handed," Raven added, showing them a small satchel. Setting it on the bed, she lifted it telekinetically for all to see. "Drake says that Slade had three of these, placed right where I have mine. Apparently, Slade was getting some kind of power boost from them. Drake knocked one off, and from what I can tell they're part of an ancient myth," She said. Then she retold the legend to Robin and Starfire, who listened intently.

"So you're saying this thing is pure evil contained?" Robin asked, pointing at the stone. Raven nodded.

"It threw me across the room last night just for touching it," She told him. Robin looked at the stone warily, as if expecting it to attack him.

"Damn. So you were right, Beast Boy. He's behind those attacks. As if I didn't feel like enough of an ass before…" Robin admitted. Then his eyes snapped back to Drake. "Are you going to be OK? It looks like Raven patched you up, but still…"

"With time, Chuckles. Anyway, let's go find Cyborg and the band mem- AH!" He cried as a sudden force slammed him into the other wall of the room. Everyone looked around wildly until they saw Slade standing in the hell outside the door.

"In broad daylight, huh Slade? You've got nerve," Robin yelled, throwing a punch. Slade easily blocked it, grabbed the fist, and swing Robin around, throwing him into, through, and out the glass balcony door. Somehow blocking Starfire's assaults, Slade ran forward and roughly took hold of Drake, then promptly exited out to the balcony and, with Drake in tow, flew, yes, _flew_ up to the roof.

The Titans ran to the balcony. "Robin, you alright?" Beast Boy asked, giving him a hand up. Robin immediately reached for his grappling hook and shot up to the roof.

"I'm fine! Get to the roof!" He cried, zip lining upwards. Beast Boy morphed and the three Titans zoomed to meet Robin.

As they hit the roof, the battle was already in heat. Drake was doing his best, but was being beaten badly due to his condition. With pure fury on his face, Robin ran forward with his staff drawn.

Slade saw him, and blocked the blow with a black, glowing hand. "The gems!" Robin hissed, picking himself off them ground after being thrown. Everyone attacked, and the roof became a madhouse, with star bolts and Birdarangs flying everywhere. Suddenly, everyone was thrown back, hitting the ground hard. Slade gave a small laugh and approached Drake.

"All I want is the gem," Slade said, holding up the gemless backside of his left hand. Drake just smirked, earning that backside swinging down and blindsiding him. He dodged the next blow, and the other Titans began a new attack. This time, it was short- lived. Raven was cast off the roof, and the other Titans were all pinned to the ground by an unidentifiable force.

Drake waited for Raven to fly back up. When she didn't, he ran to the edge of the roof to find her hanging onto the ledge by one hand. She looked up and saw him. "Those gems…negating my powers…" She told Drake. His eyes widened as Slade smirked and raised his hand towards him.

_Nah. I get the feeling I won't be wearing this suit much longer. Xenotheum's only good for one more use. One more teleport, one more explosive, anything. Then the suit's basically nothing…_

He remembered his own words, and realized that he was right. He had enough Xenotheum for one final action. But what? He could blast Slade, distracting him long enough to free the others. Or, he could teleport Raven somewhere to save her from falling. "Something troubling you?" Slade asked with a smirk as his hand began to glow black. Drake gritted his teeth as he decided his move.

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CLIFFY!

By the way, did anyone catch the reference I made concerning Red X? It's in his name. If you figure it out, say so in the review. If not, I'll put it up next chapter.


	20. A Link To The Past

-1Me: Welp, looks like no one figured out my little Easter Egg. Well, since it deals with him, I'll pass it on to Robin. Take it away!

Robin: Ok, fine. For those that didn't catch the significance of Red X's name, here it is: The last name is "Tim" spelt backwards. Tim Drake is another guy that takes on the role of Robin in various Batman comics.

Raven: So who the heck are you then?

Robin: Richard Grayson. The original and, in my opinion, the best.

Raven: You say "Titans Go!", "Titans Move!" and "Titans Trouble!" enough times to make all of us want to smack you. I haven't met this Tim dude, but he probably isn't as annoying.

Everyone: (Nods in agreement)

Robin:…Fine. What-ev-er. You can all go…

Me: That's all for now!

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_Well, here goes nothing! _Drake thought. Grabbing Raven's hand with one hand, he pushed the button on his belt with the other. It fizzled, but nothing happened. His eyes widened. "Oh, come on!" He muttered. He hit it again, nothing doing. "Damn!" He spat. Slade made his move, firing a black shot not unlike Raven's at the skull-faced thief. He nimbly dodged, trying to think of something, anything he could do.

"Ah…you see? Just give me the jewel, thief. Relinquish it, and you and your friends will be spared. For now," Slade said with confidence. Then his head whipped from Drake to Raven as she finally pulled herself back up. He saw her flip back up, eyes flashing. What he did see, or hear for that matter, was the sound of a sonic cannon unleashing a furious blast.

Slade grunted as he was blasted into the air. "Booyah!" Cyborg cried with a satisfied smirk. Slade landed on his feet gracefully and growled. Leaping at Cyborg, he unleashed a flurry of black shots at not only the offending Titan, but the others as well as they began to break the power that held them.

"Oh HELL no!" Red X said furiously. He dove and knocked the still-paralyzed teens out of the way, while Cyborg fended for himself.

"Fine! If you will not give it to me easily, I will take it myself!" Slade roared. With that, he ran to the edge of the building, leaping off.

"No…not this time, murderer!" Drake roared. He reached down, ripped Robin's utility belt from his immobile waist, strapped it around himself, and gave chase, leaving the Titans stunned.

"Titans, GO!" Robin said, finally shaking off the effects of the paralysis and looking down at his waist, annoyed.

"One more special power, suit. Come on, work with me," Drake muttered as he fell after Slade. He watched as Slade shot a black shot downward, creating a cushion for him to land on. Drake, closing his eyes, pressed the button on his suit and prayed. Then he smiled as he felt the boot-mounted jets and shoulder wings emerge. Knowing he didn't have many frequent flier miles, he shot downward and pulled up, allowing him a safe landing. He hit the ground running, keeping close to Slade.

"GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT, YOU COWARD!" Drake roared. The chase led them into the winding commercial part of New York City, racing behind a McDonald's and scaring the shit out of a poor employee taking out the trash. Finally, they hit a dead end alley.

"Nowhere to run, Slade. Creative name, by the way. Where'd you get it from?" Drake asked sarcastically.

(A/N I know that Slade is his real name in the comics, but this is the animated series. I'm taking liberties with Slade's past since it's never revealed in the animated series.)

Rather than answer, Slade leapt forward and struck Drake with a powerful blow to what was intended to be the head. Instead, he met up with a pair of Birdarangs, which Drake used to block the blow. Having succeeded, Drake threw the devices, narrowly missing his opponent.

The Titans caught up a few minutes later, at which point Drake and Slade were in heated combat. From their view on top of the Burger King that bordered the left side of the alley, Cyborg charged his cannon, but Robin stopped him.

"No. They're too close together. We're not gonna be able to help him until they leave that cramped area," The Boy Wonder said tersely. The other Titans grudgingly agreed, resigning themselves to waiting on the sidelines.

"Why - the - hell - did - you - do - it?!" Drake cried each word as he swung at his opponent. The mechanical voice filter was all that covered the pain in his voice. "What - did she - ever to do YOU?!" He roared, finally connecting viciously as he completed his sentence.

From their perch, the Titans looked between each other, confused. "Uh…Something I'm missing here?" Beast Boy asked, scratching his head. Robin furrowed his brow and shook his head.

"I have no idea. I just wish they'd get out of the alley so we could help…" The Boy Wonder trailed off in thought. _Who's this "she?" And why the hell would Slade know anything about Red X - I mean, Drake? _He thought, confused. He shrugged.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Slade said with an infuriating laugh as he got up. "Honestly? Back then…I was just a small-timer in Gotham. Heh…oh, those were fun days. It really wasn't to be what it turned into. The plan was a mere theft. Something more exotic than simply robbing a gas station," Slade mused.

Drake pulled a couple more Birdarangs out and combined them as Slade continued. "But alas, we misread one of the run times. People came an hour before we had planned. The problem was that no one listened once we'd taken hostages," The masked man said with an audible frown.

Robin's eyes widened. _No…_ He thought as his mind began to put two and two together. Slade had been a small time crook in Gotham at one point…He closed his eyes as memories flashed through.

Flashback

"Robin, to the Batmobile!" Batman told his sidekick briskly. The spiky-haired teenager nodded, racing after his mentor. Together, they sped off, screeching a halt in front of the Gotham Cinema Theater.

"Catching a movie?" Robin asked, one eyebrow cocked. Batman gave him a "be serious" look.

"There are reports of a robbery gone bad inside. Come on," Batman said as he exited, racing for the theater. The Dynamic Duo burst onto the scene to find several men adorned with black and orange hockey-style masks on, some holding hostages.

"No one moves or the broad gets it!" One of them said. Robin turned to Batman, a Birdarang drawn. Batman reached into his own belt for a Batarang, shaking his head no. Color drained of Bruce Wayne's face as he realized that his Batarangs were, for some reason, missing.

Batman gave Robin a look. "Dick, you've practiced with those more than I have. Go," he told his partner. Robin smiled and nodded, aiming carefully. With a heave, he flung the weapon outward…and missed entirely. Startled by the sudden movement, the thief pulled the trigger on reflex, causing the woman he had taken to fall limply away from him.

And with that, chaos broke out. Guns were fired, people fled and screamed, and the two heroes found themselves struggling to press through the frenzied crowd. "Whoa!" Robin cried as he saw a kid kick the gun out of the thief he had tried to hit earlier and shoot him with it…

End Flashback

It had the last mission Robin had taken with Bruce before leaving for Jump City. _I was responsible… I'm the idiot that missed. That woman…the kid…Oh, God. And the guy…He got away. Drake was wrong…his dad got away…And now…Oh, God! _Robin dropped to his knees, full of grief, guilt and self-hatred.

Drake had been the kid. Robin had unknowingly seen Red X years before he created him. And if Red X had been the kid, and he was acting as though Slade had some sort of knowledge concerning him…and Slade had been a small-time thief…

"That's him." Robin whispered through a stream of tears as the others surrounded him, startled by the sudden change in their leader.

"Robin, you're not making sense. What's going on here?" Raven asked. Robin just closed his eyes behind the mask, unable to answer.

Finally, Slade nailed Drake with a punch that sent him flying out into the street, out of the alley. With a final look at their leader, the Titans descended upon the two, Beast Boy turning into a tiger on the way down and landing lithely on his feet.

Slade's eyes widened. He knew that he was outmatched, having already expended considerable amount of energy and power in combat already. Instead, he leapt up and took for the skies. Starfire looked up, looked at Beast Boy, and smirked. Raven couldn't fly, but both Starfire and Beast Boy were able to fly by their own biology, something the gems would not stop.

The two Titans were airborne in an instant, but chased after nothing. "I would assume that the gems have allowed him to vanish," Starfire growled. Beast Boy nodded his pterodactyl head and returned to the ground with Starfire.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ok Robin, you need to explain and explain now," Raven said, soft but firm. They were sitting at the Burger King they had been near to, and the band plus Terra had been called in. Drake, unmasked, nodded vigorously, whilst Cyborg and Nevermore stared at Drake. Robin closed his eyes, swallowed his pride, dignity and self-respect, and related the story to them.

By the time he was finished, everyone had a mixed look of shock, sympathy, horror and disbelief etched into their faces.

Everyone except Drake. The ex- Red X was staring at Robin with a blank look, as unreadable as the mask he wore with the suit.

"I am so sorry, Drake…It was my own stupidity. That Birdarang…if it had hit, not only would your mother still be alive, but Slade would have been arrested, and I probably would never have left Bruce…"

"That Birdarang formed us," Raven mused. Robin nodded.

Drake closed his eyes, breathed, and opened his mouth. "We all fuck up, Chu- I mean, Richard," He amended, shocking everyone further. "How the hell can you see to aim, anyway?" He demanded. Robin couldn't help a small smile.

"They're one-way. Screened," He explained.

"Ah. Well, you made a bad shot. It cost you. Point is, no one's perfect. Including you. You tried to save my mother's life, and that's what counts to me. Does it suck that you failed? Yes. Does it suck donkey balls that my dad lived on to be a frickin' madman villain that dabbles in the occasional abuse of demonic forces? Absolutely. Doesn't me you hate yourself forever. You did what you could. That's all I could have asked for if I had been with you," He told the man who he held eerie amounts of similarities with across the table.

"And if you don't mind, I'd like to take you up on that little offer of yours. But talk later. You guys have somewhere to be," Drake said, pointing at the clock, which read 4 PM.

Raven's eyes widened. The battle! "It starts at five. But…" Drake looked annoyed.

"It's what you came for. You're going, and so are we. Now let's move," The former thief ordered. Raven gave a small smile and nodded, getting up and readying for a teleport.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Short but intense!


	21. Final Song

-1Robin jerked up, sweating bullets and gasping as he clutched at the sheets. He then realized he was in the hotel room. "How…?" He wondered, looking around. Finding Starfire sleeping soundly beside him, he furrowed his brows. _I must have dozed off…Nice work, Dick. Go to sleep in the middle of telling your own story,_ He thought to himself. Frowning, he took out his communicator.

"Robin to Raven, over," Raven jerked up in bed in a similar fashion to Robin, glaring at her communicator. Checking Drake and Beast Boy to see if they had been awoken, she snatched it off of the bedside table. "What?!" Raven hissed.

"Er…what happened? Is Drake alright? Is the jewel still with us?" Robin fired questions off at rapid-fire speeds. All was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. "Er…you there?" Robin asked.

Raven's eyes were wide open now. _How the fuck does he know about Drake? Much less his real name! And the jewel, too? What the hell? _She thought. "How in Azar's name did you know about that?!" She yelped, barely able to keep her voice down.

Robin shifted his weight, becoming extremely uneasy. "Er…the battle, remember? Slade tried to get the gem, you almost died, and we found out that Slade is X's father?" The Boy Wonder told her.

Raven began to smile. _Sounds like someone had a little too much sugar with their Star Wars, _She thought with a smirk. "Robin? No such thing happened. You may have been having a slightly prophetic dream through our connection; that's how you would know about Drake and the gem. But as for the rest of it? No more Star Wars for you, young man," She said with a sly grin before ending the transmission.

Robin blushed in embarrassment. _It was a dream…Most of it, anyway. Wasn't watching Star Wars, but oh well, _He thought. Easing himself back into the bed and knowing that he wouldn't hear the end of his little dream from anyone tomorrow, he laid down and closed his eyes once more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Raven couldn't help it. She'd controlled it, not wanting to make him feel any worse that he did, but it was too much. Finally, she burst out into wild laughter, waking both of the other occupants with a start.

Beast Boy and Drake looked at each other, cocked and eyebrow, and turned their attention to the pale Azarathian who was rolling on the ground like an 8-year old watching Saturday morning cartoons. Both men blinked several times. "Erm…did Happy take over again?" Beast Boy finally ventured, remember that particular incident.

Flashback

Beast Boy approached Raven's door with trepidation. She was _not _going to be happy about being woken from a rare lie-in. Finally, he knocked on the door. "Raven, breakfast is-" The door opened, and he was interrupted as Raven gave him a huge hug. Yes, a _hug_.

"Heya! 'Mornin' BB!" She said, full of energy and spunk. Beast Boy slowly eased his way out of Raven's embrace, scared out of his wits now. _Is she being sarcastic?_ The changeling wondered.

"Uh…good morning? Are you…alright?" He asked slowly. She raised an eyebrow at him and put her hands on her hips.

"Is it a crime to be energetic when you wake up? Come on!" Raven said with a grin and a giggle as she yanked Beast Boy by the arm downstairs. Now the elf was REALLY scared.

"Good morning, Ra…ven?" Robin finished as the empath leapt up into a seat with a fork and knife in hand and a bright smile on her face. Everyone leaned back slightly.

"C'mon, Cy! What's on the menu?" Raven asked him, eyeing the bacon on the grill. Cyborg blinked a couple times, raised an eyebrow, and looked at the food he was cooking.

"Well, we got eggs, bacon, French toast, waffles and BB's nasty tofu crap," He finished as he flipped some of the eggs.

Raven was up in a flash, helping herself to a hearty portion of everything, including the tofu. "Thanks, Rinny-Tin-Tin!" She said, clapping him on the back and going to town on the eggs. Cyborg was torn between being concerned for his teammate and being annoyed at the nickname.

"Okay, what gives? What happened to the 'if you say so,' and 'herbal tea,' and the silence?" Robin questioned. In response, Starfire smacked him on the back of the head.

"Raven, I find your newfound energy glorious! Perhaps you are feeling up to doing the 'shopping' this afternoon?" The Tamaranian said hopefully. Raven flashed her a grin.

"Sure thing SF!" She said with a thumbs up. Everyone's eyes widened. Then Beast Boy decided to test things a bit.

"And maybe we could play a bit of Stankball afterwards? We could use a third person," He said, gesturing to Cyborg, who nodded. Raven grinned.

"Only if you're willing to get whooped at your own game!" She said cheerfully, stunning everyone.

Six hours later…

"I. Cannot. Believe. You. Took. Advantage. Of. Happy," Raven uttered one word at a time, looking down at the Stankball in her hand and glaring at Beast Boy, who returned the expression with a grin. Raven frowned and chucked the thing at Beast Boy, who easily caught it and send it flying back at impressive speeds as a gorilla. Too fast for Raven to register.

Beast Boy was last seen being chased throughout Titan's Tower yelling "IT WAS HAPPY'S IDEA! KILL HER, NOT ME!"

End Flashback

Raven finally regained composure and sat up on the floor. "No, Happy's been satisfied ever since I've been able to express her freely," She said, filling them in on Robin's dream.

"Slade as my father, huh? Well, he does have the whole helmet thing going on. Hmm…" Drake joked. All three of them just shook their heads in amusement and went back to bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh, shut the hell up already!" Robin yelled from the back seat of the T-Car, frustrated as Raven grinned at him. As predicted, Raven, Beast Boy and Drake had not been able to stop making fun of him. It became worse once everyone else was informed of Robin's nighttime adventures.

"Robin, wait," Drake said, sounding serious. Robin turned around, surprised by his tone. Drake was wearing his mask, and a good thing too. It helped to mask the non-straight face that he couldn't manage. Robin gestured for him to speak.

"Well…I just thought you should know. I'm…I'm your uncle's sister's nephew's aunt's roommate's father's brother!" He declared, causing a new wave of laughter to come from everyone except the poor Boy Wonder.

"Oh my God! It was a flipping dream! Good LORD you people are annoying sometimes," Robin said, shaking his head. Then he heard what sounded suspiciously like "Titans, Go! Titans, Move! Titans, Eat!" from under Raven's breath, which was followed by another round of snorts.

"What-ev-er," Robin muttered. Finally, after a good half-hour of tormenting their leader, the Titans reached the club in order to set up for their performance. Getting out of the car, Raven led everyone else up to the stage, smiling not at the Boy Wonder this time, but simply marveling at how far Nevermore had truly come.

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"After our short interruption last night, we are proud to present the remainder of the Regional Battle of the Bands!" The announcer declared proudly. "And I do believe that Nevermore is in progress, so take it away!"

Raven smiled as she walked out. This was a familiar song, played by her band and her band only. "Alright, this was one of our first songs when we formed," She informed the audience. "It's called 'The Beast Within.'" She took a deep breath, motioned for Charlie to give a four-count, and the song began

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(verse 1)

(Raven)

Demons within try to tear me apart

While a man by my side tries to win my heart

Fated to bring the end of all creation

He fought me and brought me

to a realization

(verse 2)

I was the portal, the key to evil's will

But now with their help I don't have to kill

The final showdown, the ultimate battle

The one by my side bravely takes the saddle

(chorus)

(Raven and Lily)

He's my Beast Within, my protector forevermore

He's my champion, the one who ends the war

Evil's influence, the mighty have fallen

Once a demon until he came callin'

He's my Beast within, and I'm his angel of the night

Together we've stood and together we fight

What darkened my past he is no more

My Beast within made sure he was nevermore

(verse 3)

(Lily)

Once in shadows, the bird was alone

Her destiny, not to be her own

Brought to the light by the strangest of ways

He destroyed evil's might and freed her

To freely live her days

(verse 4)

(Raven)

Now I'm part of him, and he's part of me

Bonded together yet completely free

The demon and the joker, consumed by love

Dark angel and saving beast, the dark bird now a dove

(chorus)

(Raven and Lily)

He's my Beast Within, my protector forevermore

He's my champion, the one who ends the war

Evil's influence, the mighty have fallen

Once a demon until he came callin'

He's my Beast within, and I'm his angel of the night

Together we've stood and together we fight

What darkened my past he is no more

My Beast within made sure he was nevermore

With a final solo that had been tabbed by Starfire and Lily, the band ended the song to a thunderous reaction while the lights dimmed for a time while the band rearranged for their final song.

When the lights came back on, Raven announced "This one is called 'Nightwatch.'"

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(Raven is on electric, Starfire is on second electric, Charlie's on drums, Lily's on bass, Raven and Terra on vocals.)

(Raven)

Beastly senses in the dark of the night

Saved an innocent girl from the reaper's bite

He saved her from rage, he saved her from hate

Yet he blames himself for warning too late

(Terra)

Sacrifice to his friend

A single hope her blood to mend

Unknown result

A choice difficult

The decisions are made

(Raven and Terra)

Blood related, not without a price

His life he might pay for his sacrifice

He never cares, as long as she wakes

He gladly dies to do what it takes

(Raven)

Persistent evil, supposedly caught

Almost tore us apart , but hey, y'know

(Spoken)

X marks the spot.

(Sang)

Saving the old and saving the young

Evil sent packing by one who can never hold his tongue

No explanation, confusing us all

Disappeared into the night

Said that he'd give us a call

(Raven and Terra)

Unconventional hero, identity theft

Makes the best out of what

He has left…

The song played on, a solo interluding the two duet parts before finishing. All the while, Drake was torn between beet red and pale white under his mask at the Titans' table as he realized that he shared with Beast Boy as the subject of the song. "Oh. My. God. What the hell possessed her to do THAT?" He muttered under his breath. The other Titans turned to him with grins on their faces. "I will kill all of you," Drake said threateningly. This only got a laugh out of the Titans, so Drake just slumped down and sighed.

After the band was done, they gave their bows, accepted the applause, and headed for the table where their friends awaited them.

"Well, I don't think we did ba-" Raven stopped as she noticed the look Drake was giving her. Even through the mask, it was quite obvious that he was giving her a "are you nuts?!" look.

She grinned. "Hey, I thought you deserved a bit of recognition, that's all," She told him, causing the thief to frown.

"A fruit basket would have sufficed. I -hate- publicity," Drake said with a shudder, removing his mask. Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you're going to get a lot of it if you take us up on our offer," He said with a laugh. "Speaking of which," he added, "have you decided yet?"

Drake ran a hand through his hair, looked around at the expectant faces around him, and sighed. "Eh, I see no reason why not. Not like I have anything to lose, and I could use some people to trust," The thief finally said. Robin gave a genuine smile.

"Well, then, good to have ya aboard," The team leader said.

The next day…

"Now that was a hell of a trip," Cyborg said as he pulled into the Tower's garage. Nevermore had placed fourth, ending their progression. Everyone was happy though, knowing they did and sounded their best.

"Sure was. Now, I need to go set up a room, if you don't mind," Drake said. Robin nodded, and Starfire flew with him to assist her new teammate settle in.

Raven smiled. "Another crazy adventure, another new Titan," She said. _And another mystery…the demons…_ She thought to herself as she unpacked.

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That finishes this part of the story. But it doesn't end here! A trequel is on its way. After all, you didn't think I'd leave the demons unsolved, did you?


End file.
